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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398024">Pain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner'>18lzytwner</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order SVU Fourth Series [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:41:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,044</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398024</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Olivia is back at work and after a long day gets some bad news.  On top of that, the Captain is having his own troubles.  Can Elliot help his partner and the team help the Captain?  Second in fourth series.  EO</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Olivia Benson/Elliot Stabler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order SVU Fourth Series [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625464</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One week after Olivia's return to work, she was sitting at her desk, trying to get some paperwork done. The fact of the matter was, she'd reread the last paragraph, describing the condition they found the victim in, about four times. It wasn't sinking in. The words were all blobbing together.</p>
<p>"Hey, how you holding up over there?" Elliot asked. They hadn't slept in almost twenty-four hours.</p>
<p>"I need a nap," she admitted.</p>
<p>"Yeah me too but we need to get these five's in," he said.</p>
<p>"Then I'll settle for a coffee," Olivia heaved a sigh and managed to get herself out of her seat and over to the new coffee pot. Pouring herself a cup, she immediately poured Elliot one too.</p>
<p>"Yummy, although I'm getting indigestion," he admitted as she handed him his hot beverage before sitting back down at her new desk.</p>
<p>"That's because I think the last time we ate was yesterday about this time," she told him; it was closing in on dinner time. Fishing around in one of her desk drawers, she found the antacids and tossed them over to him.</p>
<p>"You used to have snacks in your drawer," Elliot pointed out.</p>
<p>"They didn't survive the construction," Olivia said. She wasn't sure if the boys had eaten them or if they'd ended up in the trash. Either way, they didn't have any snacks at the moment.</p>
<p>"I come bearing gifts," Munch spoke up.</p>
<p>"Is that what I think it is?" Kenny seemed to perk up at the smell.</p>
<p>"Pizza. Nothing but the best for my coworkers," the elder detective said. He set the box down on an empty desk and the team basically swarmed the hot food.</p>
<p>"Easy! No one needs to lose digits," Munch reminded them.</p>
<p>"Thanks Munch," Fin said as he sat back down at his desk.</p>
<p>"Welcome, I do what I can. Has anyone heard from the Captain?" His partner asked.</p>
<p>"Not since what should have been lunch," Elliot let them know.</p>
<p>"Where'd he have to go again?" Kenny wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Said he had a meeting over at One PP," Fin spoke up.</p>
<p>"We didn't do anything to get him in trouble did we?" Olivia wondered.</p>
<p>"We just solved a case in record time. Unless that's against the rules, I don't see how," Elliot frowned. They slipped into silence, mostly just eating, and tapping on their keyboards. About twenty minutes later, Kenny announced he was done and heading home and going to bed. Not long after that, Fin, stood up, cracked his back, and wished them all a good night. Munch wasn't far behind them. That left just Elliot and Olivia.</p>
<p>"You done yet?" He asked.</p>
<p>"I am. I was waiting on you," she told him.</p>
<p>"Nice. Well I was going to take you out to dinner but since we had pizza…" Elliot started.</p>
<p>"Two pieces of pizza doesn't really count. I'm still hungry," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Me too. Let's discuss on our way out," he smiled and stood up from his seat. Grabbing his coat, he helped Olivia into her blazer. Summer was beginning to wind down as the end of August approached. It had been a windy day with clouds and some on and off rain, so a light jacket was in order.</p>
<p>They had almost made it out the front door of the precinct when Olivia's cell phone rang. She quickly picked it up, without looking at the caller ID.</p>
<p>"Benson," she and Elliot stopped in their tracks, staying inside the precinct. Her partner nudged her out of the doorway as she listened to the person on the other end of the call.</p>
<p>"I appreciate the heads up. I'll text you the address," with that the call ended and she texted something out. Elliot could tell by the look on her face that whatever had happened on the call wasn't good.</p>
<p>"What's up?" He asked.</p>
<p>"That was a Detective Marie Gavronski from Albany PD. They think they found Vivian Arliss," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Isn't that a good thing?" Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"They said think because the body was badly decomposed, but it matches the APB we put out for her. Blonde, five foot five, and found in a known drug den. Apparently, that description doesn't match anyone locally so when they widened the search, Vivian popped up. I texted her Melinda's address. She has Calvin's DNA on file," she explained. If the body's DNA matched Calvin's, then it would be his mother.</p>
<p>"Come on. Let's alert Melinda she has a body coming and then we'll just get some takeout," Elliot suggested.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two days later, Melinda texted Olivia that she'd received the body from Albany PD. She promised to let her know the results of the DNA test and anything else she found as confirmation of the ID. Olivia thanked her and heaved a sigh, setting her phone down on her desk.</p>
<p>"You ok?" Elliot asked without looking up from his paperwork. They'd received a new case and Munch and Fin had gone to the hospital to talk to the victim while Kenny and the Captain were at the crime scene, a few hours ago. Both Olivia and Elliot were needed for court when the call came in. They were on different cases; Olivia for a case that happened prior to Jenna's assault on the precinct and Elliot for a federal hearing on the death of former ATF Agent Greer. The Feds didn't blame the NYPD for the dirty agent's death, but he had to be on hand because Greer's family was trying to clear his name. The botched undercover operation that Elliot had participated in made him qualified to testify on Greer's behavior.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"That didn't sound enthusiastic. I'm guessing that text was from Melinda," he told her, setting his paperwork down and looking up at his partner.</p>
<p>"She just got the body; had to wait for the paperwork to be approved. Albany is willing to write off the death as long as Melinda agrees it was an overdose and proves its Vivian. If it turns out to be someone else or not just an overdose, then they'll have a case on their hands," she explained. Elliot's phone beeped and he looked at it.</p>
<p>"Ah I gotcha. I don't think the guys will be back tonight. The Captain just texted and said to go home when we're done with our paperwork," he said.</p>
<p>"Well I'm ready when you are," Olivia gave a tight smile. Elliot knew she had a lot on her mind. She really didn't want to have to talk to Calvin and tell him that his mother was dead. The bigger issue was that Calvin's grandparents were getting old and that if Vivian was in fact dead, Calvin would go into the foster system should something happen to the grandparents. His father, David, lost all of his parental rights when he was convicted in the death of Vivian's friend Sarah. The state gave the grandparents custody due to the fact that David would be in jail well after Calvin had turned eighteen and could make up his own mind.</p>
<p>"Come on. Let's get some dinner," Elliot stood up and that's when his phone rang. He picked it up and Olivia could tell that whoever it was on the other end was giving him bad news.</p>
<p>"What is it?" She asked once he hung up.</p>
<p>"That was my lawyer. Kathy is filing for full custody of Eli," he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. Olivia could see that his rage was boiling but he was trying to contain it - not an easy trick when it came to his kids.</p>
<p>"Well you can fight that right?" She wanted to know.</p>
<p>"I want to, but the fact of the matter is we don't work a nine to five. No judge is going to give me full custody of a young kid who needs my full attention. I think we both know that he'd end up with a babysitter more often than not," Elliot frowned. At that moment, all Olivia wanted to do was to hug her partner, but she knew she could not. They were still within the confines of the precinct. She did the only thing she could do and put her hand on his shoulder. He smiled and locked eyes with her, everything she had wanted to say out loud was telegraphed there. More and more he was glad for their secret language.</p>
<p>They started the walk toward the precinct's exit. Upon reaching the front desk, they were stopped by Desk Sergeant Lopez. He said he had something for Olivia. She was surprised but gladly took the small box from him.</p>
<p>"Who's it from?" Elliot was concerned since she wasn't expecting anything.</p>
<p>"It's postmarked from Albany but no return address…" Olivia could sense that something wasn't right.</p>
<p>"Lopez, call the bomb squad. Evacuate the precinct," it seemed like an overreaction by Elliot but considering that they just had a body transferred down from Albany, there was no way to tell if it was a body part or something worse. Carefully, Olivia set the box down gingerly, on Lopez's desk. He told them that the bomb squad was en-route.</p>
<p>"El, what the hell is going on?" She asked.</p>
<p>"I have no idea," he said as they slowly backed away – making sure to keep people back from bumping the desk as they ran out of the building.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Well I have some good news and some bad news," Captain Schultz of the Bomb Squad said to the two detectives. They had sent in the bomb robot to analyze the package. The scan had revealed just what was going on and forensics had been called.</p>
<p>"What do you have?" Elliot asked.</p>
<p>"It wasn't a bomb or incendiary device, that's the good news. The bad news is whatever it is, it was well wrapped so that it didn't leak through the packaging," the African-American man told them.</p>
<p>"Leak?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Well the scanner isn't meant to read organic material…" Schultz said.</p>
<p>"Geez…" Elliot shook his head.</p>
<p>"Forensics is going to take a look at it first and then we'll know more. Not really in my wheelhouse but why would you be getting something like that? Also, despite what it turned out to be, it's good you called us. We had an incident over in Brooklyn not that long ago that didn't end so well," the Captain frowned. They knew to what he was referring to as it had circulated in the internal NYPD bulletins. An officer had opened a small package that had no return address on it. What had been inside was a zip gun. The booby-trapped package sent a bullet from the gun into the officer's chest, missing his heart by only a quarter of an inch. At first, the police thought that the "Zip Gun Bomber" of the nineties had returned but it turned out that the officer was targeted by his neighbor. The neighbor was indeed a copycat and being charged with attempted murder made his ridiculous squabble regarding the state of the fence between their yards seem incredibly petty.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure why I got this package. Thanks for everything Captain," Olivia smiled slightly.</p>
<p>"Good luck with your case," he smiled back. Everyone began filing back inside the building while Elliot's phone rang. He answered it and followed Olivia back inside. She began to speak with the forensic techs and told them to coordinate with Melinda down at the Coroner's office.</p>
<p>"That was the Captain. He wanted to know why he was getting a call saying the bomb squad was at his precinct. I told him everything and he says to keep him in the loop. Until further notice, we're on the case of the package and the…" he paused.</p>
<p>"It was an ear," she filled him in.</p>
<p>"So, besides the ear, what do we have?" Elliot asked.</p>
<p>"There's a note in here but it's soaked in blood," CSU tech Bobby Hines spoke up.</p>
<p>"Illegible?" Olivia wondered.</p>
<p>"I'm going to have to see what I can do. Seems odd. They wrapped the ear so well that the package wouldn't leak, and you couldn't smell the decomp but then the note got wet," Bobby said.</p>
<p>"So maybe not a completely organized person – they missed the small details," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"I'll keep you posted. Now, who touched this?" The tech wanted to know.</p>
<p>"The post office, Sergeant Lopez, myself, and the killer?" Olivia was hoping that they'd get lucky with fingerprints.</p>
<p>"All righty. I'll keep you posted," Bobby promised. The detectives thanked him and then headed back upstairs to their desks. Elliot ordered some takeout and while they waited for it to be delivered, they laid out what they knew.</p>
<p>"Ok call from Albany," Olivia started. She wrote it down on the large write and wipe board that came with the new bull pen.</p>
<p>"Leads to body being sent to Melinda," Elliot said. Olivia wrote it down.</p>
<p>"Which somehow leads to me getting an ear…" she frowned and wrote it down.</p>
<p>"I think we can safely say that it should be obvious who is down on Melinda's table," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"How do you figure?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"You don't know anyone up in Albany. How would they know to send you an ear?" He pointed out.</p>
<p>"I'm not calling Calvin to tell him his mother is dead without proof," she told him.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't expect you to, but I think we have a bigger problem," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"Yes, we do. How would someone up there know who I was and why would they be sending me body parts?" Olivia didn't like where her mind was going.</p>
<p>"You better call the local police up at Calvin's neck of the woods," Elliot told her. Olivia quickly whipped out her phone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, what have you gotten yourself into?" Captain Cragen asked the next morning when he arrived at the bull pen. Elliot was at his desk and Olivia was not at hers, so the Captain grew a little concerned.</p>
<p>"Something weird. After Liv got the ear last night, she called the police up in Calvin's neck of the woods. They promised to keep an eye on the family until she could get up there," the detective explained.</p>
<p>"She's driving to Vermont… by herself…" Cragen gave him a look.</p>
<p>"Of course not. As soon as she gets here, I'm going with her. She's with Melinda right now trying to figure out if the ear came off the body in her morgue," Elliot told him.</p>
<p>"Albany did dump this case in our laps but technically it's not an SVU case," the Captain pointed out.</p>
<p>"But Vivian was one of our victims and now she's more than likely dead. Kind of makes it our case," Elliot countered.</p>
<p>"Ok, I can sell that to One PP. I'll make sure that Kenny, Fin, and Munch handle the case we caught the other day," Cragen nodded.</p>
<p>"Everything ok Cap? You were down at One PP for a long while the other day," the detective was concerned.</p>
<p>"Nothing to worry about. I was just helping out with something that the Commissioner wanted," Don smiled.</p>
<p>"Ok good," Elliot smiled, unsure if he should believe that. He then heard the clicking of his partner's shoes on the new tile floor. Turning his head from his commanding officer, he saw that she was almost to her desk.</p>
<p>"Liv, how'd it go?" He asked.</p>
<p>"The body is in fact missing an ear. Melinda doesn't have the DNA back yet but she's fairly certain that it's Vivian. She won't admit it though until the results come back," she said.</p>
<p>"Well she can text us. Ready to go?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Let me run into the locker room and then I'll be ready," Olivia smiled slightly before heading to the locker room.</p>
<p>"Keep an eye on her, will you?" Cragen asked before heading into his office. Elliot knew what he meant. Olivia had been through a lot and now Calvin is back in her life and possibly in danger.</p>
<p>Once in the car, Olivia grew quiet and Elliot didn't press. He was worried but he didn't want to voice it – at least not until she'd said something first. So, he just pulled the car onto the highway and headed them in the direction of Vermont. It was about three hours to the state line and about another hour to the town of Manchester, where Calvin was living with his grandparents. They were both thankful for leaving as early as they were. If they attempted to leave too late, traffic in Manhattan would add another thirty minutes to an hour to their trip.</p>
<p>"Figure out what you're going to say to him yet? Does he know you're coming?" Elliot just realized that he had no idea if she'd let them know.</p>
<p>"Chief Hall said that he'd talk to Clint. There are only six officers and the Chief make seven. He tells me he's hiring if we're interested," Olivia smirked.</p>
<p>"Wow. We'll have our work cut out for us then," he chuckled.</p>
<p>"Seemed like a nice guy. Knows Clint and Ethel from way back apparently," she said.</p>
<p>"Does he know what their son did?" Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"The Drecker name doesn't seem tarnished by it, well at least up in Vermont," Olivia shrugged.</p>
<p>"How far is it from Albany to Manchester?" He suddenly asked. Olivia pulled out her phone and punched in the general directions.</p>
<p>"About an hour and twenty minutes…" she trailed off.</p>
<p>"You think Vivian was on her way to Calvin and somehow got sidetracked?" Elliot wondered. There were three ways up to Manchester from Manhattan and one of them took them right through Albany. It was the shortest route and the two detectives were taking it so they could get to Calvin as fast as they could.</p>
<p>"Sidetracked? Into a known drug den? Her addiction was more important to her than her son," the words were practically spit out. Elliot nodded and moved his right hand from the steering wheel to her left leg, giving it a squeeze.</p>
<p>"Thank you for this," she said.</p>
<p>"Of course," he smiled, never taking his eyes off the road. Olivia's phone buzzed and she quickly answered it. Elliot moved his hand back to the wheel and waited to hear what she was finding out.</p>
<p>"That was Melinda. She tried to run a tox screen despite the decomp. It was inconclusive. The victim had been dead for too long. However, she expects the DNA she took from the teeth and the femur should be back tonight," Olivia told him.</p>
<p>"Thank goodness for bone marrow," he nodded.</p>
<p>"We'll still be there before the results come back," she heaved a sigh.</p>
<p>"You just have to be honest with him. Calvin loves you. That has never changed," Elliot told her. Olivia nodded, still not sure how to broach the subject when they arrived at the boy's grandparents' house.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Olivia!" Calvin's face just lit up after he'd opened the front door to his grandparents' house. He threw his arms around her and she bent over a little to fully envelope him. She kissed the top of his head.</p>
<p>"You going to invite them in or are they supposed to stay outside all night?" Clint Drecker asked from his recliner on the other side of the living room, where he was watching TV. Calvin sheepishly pulled away from Olivia and quickly let them into the house, closing the door behind them.</p>
<p>"It's good to see you too Elliot," Calvin smiled.</p>
<p>"And you buddy. Staying out of trouble?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Trying. I can take your coats," Calvin said. The detectives toed off their shoes and shrugged off their jackets. The young teenager quickly hung the coats up.</p>
<p>"I hope you brought some bags. We can't have you driving back into the city tonight," Clint said. He'd climbed out of his recliner, shut off the TV, and ambled his way over.</p>
<p>"We did but we couldn't impose. Chief Hall said they saved us a couple of rooms at the Hampton Inn," Olivia told him.</p>
<p>"Chief Hall? What's going on?" Calvin asked.</p>
<p>"Better we sit down and talk," she said. That's when Ethel entered the front door. She had a couple of grocery bags and Elliot quickly helped her, leaving his partner with Calvin and Clint. Olivia led the young boy to the couch and sat next to him.</p>
<p>"I got a call and it's possible that…" Olivia started but her phone interrupted her. She fished it out of her pocket and looked at it. It was a text from Melinda. Olivia heaved out a sigh.</p>
<p>"It's about Mom, isn't it?" Calvin said.</p>
<p>"Yes and I'm sorry Calvin. She's passed away," the detective told him. She wasn't sure how he'd react but it was obvious that he wasn't entirely ready to hear the news. Olivia pulled him into her arms as he began to cry.</p>
<p>In the kitchen, Elliot heard what was going on while he helped Ethel put the groceries away. He shook his head, feeling bad for poor Calvin. That's when Ethel put a hand on his arm and pulled him aside into a corner of the room, as far away from the living room as she could.</p>
<p>"How is Olivia?" She asked.</p>
<p>"She really didn't want to have to tell him that. She was hoping that it wasn't Vivian," he said.</p>
<p>"You wouldn't be here to just tell Calvin that. Clint said you spoke to the Chief," Ethel pressed. Elliot hesitated. He really didn't want to tell her the gruesome details. She could sense his hesitation and basically it was enough to tell her things were complicated.</p>
<p>"We need your help," there it was. The older lady had something that she hadn't shared. Shooing him out of the kitchen via the other doorway, avoiding the living room, Elliot then followed Ethel down the hall. They entered the older couple's bedroom and she went to the bed before getting down on the floor and pulling out a shoe box. Ethel stood back up and handed Elliot the box.</p>
<p>"I feel terrible for doing this but I couldn't let Calvin read these," she admitted. Elliot opened the box and inside were hand addressed envelopes; letters from Vivian to her son.</p>
<p>"You read them?" He asked.</p>
<p>"I felt I had to screen them. After Calvin was dumped here, Vivian would send him a letter at least once a month. They seemed pretty tame until he got one that wasn't. After that, I made sure I'd read them before giving them to him. Some of the letters I didn't give him at all. The letters stopped coming two months ago," Ethel explained.</p>
<p>"Dumped?" Elliot gave her a look.</p>
<p>"Let's not sugar coat it detective. Calvin was being loved by Olivia and he was happy. Then he's ripped away from her. You didn't see how depressed he was. You didn't see him struggle to adjust to another new school district. As much as I love my grandson, he's been through hell and it was all unnecessary. Now that Vivian is dead, what will happen to him if something happens to us? His father isn't getting out of jail. I can't bear to think he'll end up in the system," she said.</p>
<p>"A discussion needs to be had. Thank you for these and thank you for letting me know. I'll talk to Liv," he promised.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Ethel smiled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olivia had hated to leave Calvin but after dinner with the Dreckers the two needed to check into their hotel room. As they drove away, Elliot knew that the silence that enveloped them was crushing. He heaved a sigh and said,</p>
<p>"I'm sorry you had to do that." Olivia just nodded and her words barely came out above a whisper,</p>
<p>"Me too."</p>
<p>"Ethel gave me some letters from Vivian that she didn't want Calvin to read. She's concerned that if something happens to them… legally there will be no one to look after him," he said as he pulled the car onto the main road.</p>
<p>"He'll end up in the system. That can't happen," Olivia's resolve and determination were back.</p>
<p>"I think that maybe while we're here we look into our legal options," he said.</p>
<p>"Our options?" She asked.</p>
<p>"You know that anyone who loves you is family. Besides Calvin is a good kid and I think he could use someone to call Dad," Elliot smiled without looking away from the road. Olivia put her left hand on his thigh and gave it a light squeeze. He steered the car into the hotel parking lot and discovered a police car there. They both looked at each other before Elliot parked the car. They climbed out, grabbed their bags from the trunk, and headed for the front door. Once through the doors, there at the check-in desk was an officer.</p>
<p>"Well thanks Bea. I'll check back later," the officer said.</p>
<p>"Looking for us?" Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"Stabler and Benson?" The officer asked.</p>
<p>"That's us," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Chief Hall. I guess I won't need to come back. Bea, why don't you check them in and then we can talk," he smiled at them.</p>
<p>"Will do Chief," Bea nodded, and Elliot took care of the check-in and the Olivia took in the top law officer. He was an older man, about six foot; his uniform was pressed and neat despite the late hour, and his salt-and-pepper hair that was trimmed neatly. Not a buzz cut but also very little extra fluff. A look that told her he was probably a former military man because Elliot did the same thing.</p>
<p>"We're all set. What did you need Chief?" Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"There's been something of a development, so I hate to pull you away from those comfy beds, but I think you better come with me," Hall admitted.</p>
<p>"I can have their bags delivered to their room," Bea offered.</p>
<p>"Please do, but I need to grab something first," Olivia said. Bea, an older lady who was almost six-foot-tall, had white hair and wore glasses that reminded her of one of the ladies from the Golden Girls television show. Olivia grabbed the shoe box full of letters, not wanting anyone else to get their hands on it.</p>
<p>They followed the Chief over to his car and climbed in. He took the short drive over to the police station and they quickly went inside the building. They were greeted by a dispatcher before ducking to Hall's office. The two NYPD detectives sat across from the Chief in comfortable chairs while he took a seat behind his desk.</p>
<p>"So, what has happened?" Olivia asked, sliding the shoe box of letters under her chair.</p>
<p>"We've been getting reports of a car with New York plates circling around in some of the neighborhoods. I sent an officer over to the Drecker's place. They're getting security cameras installed in the morning and my officer will spend the night tonight," Hall explained.</p>
<p>"I figure that you see New York plates a lot," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"True but very few head through the neighborhoods. Most stick to the main roads. They're either passing through or staying at a hotel. A few have relatives in town, but this car never parks at a house and looks as though it had seen a better day. Usually by the time we get a call, the guy who is driving skirts out of the neighborhood. We all know how witnesses can be – I've got three different descriptions, but all agree that the blue car must be being held together with Bondo and spit," the Chief told them.</p>
<p>"How far off are the descriptions?" Olivia asked.</p>
<p>"A Honda, a Toyota, and a Kia. Some say two door, some say four door," Hall said.</p>
<p>"Yeah that isn't helping," Elliot nodded.</p>
<p>"My bigger concern is that they aren't looking for places to break into. You don't prowl the neighborhood in the daylight with a car that looks like that," the elder man pointed out.</p>
<p>"No, you don't. It's because you're looking for something that's easier to see in the daylight," Elliot frowned.</p>
<p>"House numbers," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"That's what I thought. I'm half tempted to tell Clint to take his family and leave for a few days, but I can't figure out why someone would be looking for them. They hadn't seen Calvin's mom in a long time," Hall was confused and that's when Olivia moved the shoe box to his desk.</p>
<p>"Maybe these letters from Vivian have a clue in them," she said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were reading the letters that Vivian had sent for thirty minutes when Elliot's phone rang. He excused himself and took the call out into the hallway. Olivia and the Chief kept reading when they heard his voice raise through the closed office door.</p>
<p>"That can't be good," the Chief said.</p>
<p>"Probably not," Olivia frowned.</p>
<p>"I can't imagine you'd talk to your Captain that way," Hall said after a moment or two. While they couldn't hear or understand all the words, the tension was not as easily hidden.</p>
<p>"No, that is probably his soon to be ex-wife," Olivia admitted.</p>
<p>"It's the job. You don't work regular hours or have regular days off. You miss birthday parties, plays, and games," the elder man nodded. Olivia nodded back.</p>
<p>"Forgive me, but what is SVU doing handling this case? Doesn't seem like something a specialized unit would do," the Chief pointed out.</p>
<p>"Vivian and Calvin were part of a case that we worked. When Albany called to say they think that they found Vivian, we had to follow through," she told him.</p>
<p>"I mean no offense, but the way Calvin talks about you, I think it's more than that," Hall gave her a look. Calvin was part of a program at his school. The program allowed kids to see what it was like in different careers so they could choose their path forward in life. After the program was over, Calvin talked to the Chief about being able to form a junior officers program. Since the police department was so small, the Chief had said that he'd allow Calvin to come down to the precinct and help out with tasks – things that had nothing to do with handling evidence or answering dispatch calls. So, the young boy made copies, kept the coffee pot full, delivered mail, and just did general things around the precinct.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Olivia was surprised; not knowing about the way the Chief was having Calvin help out.</p>
<p>"Well he says how he wants to be a detective like Olivia, and he says that he wants to help people like Olivia. At first, I figured it was a schoolboy crush. You helped him through something, and he imprinted on you. It was understandable. It wasn't until Ethel said that coming here was the only thing that brought him out of his shell, that made me wonder," the Chief said. Olivia heaved a sigh and looked down at her lap.</p>
<p>"Look, it's obvious that you care about him and he cares about you. I can't see Ethel handing these pieces of work over to you otherwise," Hall waved the letter he'd been reading around. Ethel had been right to keep them from Calvin. Some of the letters seemed to have been written while Vivian was high. Others described what she'd been doing with other people – it was like she had no idea how inappropriate they were. It was clear that her judgement had more than gone out the window. Before Olivia could say more, Elliot walked back into the room.</p>
<p>"Sorry about that," he said.</p>
<p>"Everything ok?" The Chief asked.</p>
<p>"Long story," Elliot shook his head.</p>
<p>"We've got a spate of that going around. You two notice that this Jose keeps coming up in these letters?" Hall wondered.</p>
<p>"I'm going to need to wash my brain out with soap after this one but yes that name does pop up in the few I've read," Olivia said. Elliot did a quick flip through his.</p>
<p>"At least five times but never a last name," he reported.</p>
<p>"Ok so it's a place to start. I'll see if I have any Jose's in my system," the Chief said, turning to his computer.</p>
<p>"I'll call Detective Marie Gavronski over at Albany PD and ask if they have someone that might be tied to that drug house," Olivia told them. She grabbed her cell phone and Elliot began to paw through the pile of letters left in the box. He shook his head. There were at least fifteen more letters to sift through.</p>
<p>"Marie is on it. She said to let her know if we find anything else," Olivia announced once she was off the phone.</p>
<p>"Should we ask Calvin for the tame letters? Maybe even in those Vivian could have said something that will help," Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"I don't want to take the last part of his mother away from him. Let's finish these letters and then if we need to, then I will try and broach the subject with him," Olivia was still hoping to shield Calvin from the worst of it.</p>
<p>"We may not have a choice but I'm putting on a fresh pot of coffee if we're reading more of those letters," Chief Hall told them.</p>
<p>"Yeah it's going to be a long night," Elliot said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning came and Olivia's phone rang, waking the two detectives from their short slumber. Arriving back at their hotel just after one am, it was now only seven am, and Olivia managed to untangle herself from her partner to grab the phone before it went to voicemail.</p>
<p>"Olivia?" It was Detective Gavronski.</p>
<p>"Yes, Marie?" The detective asked groggily.</p>
<p>"I do have a Jose Gonzalez that had been busted at the house that we found Vivian at. Patrol was dispatched to the address he gave the parole board, but the resident there had no idea who they were talking about. Claimed he'd lived there for the last five years and that he didn't have a roommate. I was able to confirm this. Seems Jose is in the wind. The parole board has revoked his parole and we've got everyone looking for him in the Albany area," the Albany detective explained.</p>
<p>"Do you know if he had any cars registered to him?" Olivia was now wide awake.</p>
<p>"Yes. It's a white Toyota minivan," Marie told her. Well that was no help. Even if the witnesses couldn't agree on the type of car, they would have been able to tell the difference between a minivan and two door or four door cars. Never mind the fact that the color was not right either.</p>
<p>"He drives a minivan?" Olivia was surprised.</p>
<p>"It's a very old car that once belonged to his mother," Marie clarified.</p>
<p>"Ah I see. Ok keep me posted. Thanks," Olivia told her.</p>
<p>"Will do," Marie then ended the call and Olivia turned to Elliot. They had basically collapsed onto one of the twin beds, not caring that they had still been dressed in their work clothes. It had been a long day and they were exhausted.</p>
<p>"So maybe a lead then. Better than nothing. I'm going to take a shower. You need the bathroom?" Elliot asked after she explained what the detective from Albany had found. Olivia nodded and quickly ran into the bathroom. While she was in there, her partner grabbed what he needed out of his suitcase. He was wishing they could shower together but he knew better. Olivia had been right and so was her worry regarding only getting one hotel room. Despite the department only paying for one room, Kathy could use that against him in the divorce. The thought of that made him shake his head as the call from last night had come back to him.</p>
<p>"I'm good for now," Olivia broke him out of his reverie, and he nodded before scooting into the bathroom. She heard the shower kick on and she then went into her suitcase to get her things together. Looking forward to hot water to help clear her head, Olivia paced in the meantime. Lost in her thoughts she didn't realize that the water had shut off until Elliot walked out of the bathroom, using his electric razor, some twenty minutes later. He was completely dressed and ready to go.</p>
<p>"Plenty of hot water," he smiled after finishing up with his razor.</p>
<p>"Good. I need it," Olivia smiled back and ducked into the bathroom. Once he heard the shower come on, Elliot grabbed a room key and slid out of the room. Making his way downstairs, he found the continental breakfast, scooping up some of Olivia's favorites along with his own.</p>
<p>"Feeling more awake?" Elliot asked after he let himself back into the hotel room. Olivia was fully dressed but needing to dry her hair.</p>
<p>"Only if you have some coffee," she smirked.</p>
<p>"Oh, I have that and muffins and some fruit," he smiled. He would have liked to have something a little more substantial, but he'd never been partial to scrambled eggs, which the hotel offered. The two quickly tucked into their breakfast, not sure where the day would lead them. They didn't have to wait long for some direction as Elliot's phone rang.</p>
<p>"Good Morning Chief," the detective said. Olivia watched for her partner's reaction to what the Chief was saying. She could tell that whatever it was, he wasn't sure what was going on.</p>
<p>"We'll meet you there in ten," that was the end of the phone call.</p>
<p>"What's going on?" She asked.</p>
<p>"During the night, someone paintballed the Drecker's house. The officer guarding the home fired some rounds at a car that he described as an older model minivan. The Chief…" Elliot didn't get to finish.</p>
<p>"Was it white?" Olivia wanted to know, reminding him of the conversation that they did not have long ago.</p>
<p>"The officer thought so, but he couldn't be sure since he first thought the shots were bullets and he was diving for cover. Some of the house's front windows were broken and the resulting splat proved to be paint so he tried to catch glimpse of the vehicle but he caught it just as it turned the corner of the next street. The officer also noted that some of the streetlights seemed to be out," Elliot explained.</p>
<p>"You can't put out a streetlight with a paintball, can you?" His partner asked. They were typically made of a thicker glass that would withstand the weather that they were exposed to.</p>
<p>"I don't think so. Makes you wonder what they used. Come on. Let's go join Chief Hall," Elliot said. They grabbed what remained of their breakfast and quickly went to the car.</p>
<p>"Thanks for coming out. We've got a weird one here and I could use your help," Hall spoke up as they approached the house. He had been standing out at the front door.</p>
<p>"How are the Clint, Ethel, and Calvin?" Olivia asked.</p>
<p>"They're concerned and a little frightened. I've told them to pack a few things. This is a crime scene now and I'm not sure it's safe. Next time it might not be a paintball gun," the elder man frowned. That was Olivia's concern and despite wanting to run and find Calvin, she stayed and surveyed the scene. The large front bay window had been completely shattered. Blue, red, and orange paint splattered the siding around the window. Some of the smaller crank out windows had single holes in them.</p>
<p>"Where are we supposed to go?" Clint asked. He'd worked his way out of the house via the connected garage and now stood in the driveway next to the car.</p>
<p>"First, down to the precinct. Then we'll go from there – the car got hit so we'll have to give you a lift," Hall said.</p>
<p>"Ok," Clint frowned and disappeared back into the house.</p>
<p>"Not a very cheery guy, is he?" Elliot was beginning to see Clint Drecker's personality.</p>
<p>"Never was much of one. The business with his son didn't help," the Chief said. Elliot nodded. They moved into the house and took stock of the living room. The TV laid on its face, a hole in the back of it. Paint splattered the living room walls; glass was all over the carpet.</p>
<p>"Chief, they're ready to go," Officer Dwyer announced from his spot in the entryway to the kitchen.</p>
<p>"Ok take them out the side door and get them down to the precinct. We'll be there soon," Hall told him. He looked to Olivia and she looked back at the Chief. He winked and she scooted out into the kitchen just as they were heading for the side door that lead them through the garage and out onto the side of said garage. Calvin saw her but said nothing, he just hugged her, and she hugged him back.</p>
<p>"I'll see you at the precinct," she promised. Calvin smiled slightly and then he left with his grandparents.</p>
<p>"Chief, you need to see this," Officer Roberts spoke up from the front doorway. The three head outside and follow the officer to the road where the only forensic tech they had, Officer Smith, was busy photographing the streetlight.</p>
<p>"Chief, there's too much inconsistency here," Smith said, nodding at the detectives as a way of acknowledgement.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Hall wanted to know.</p>
<p>"The streetlight was shot out with something more powerful than a paintball gun," Smith said, pointing out a casing he'd found.</p>
<p>"If you have a gun and you shoot out the streetlights why would you then paintball the house?" Officer Roberts was confused.</p>
<p>"You wouldn't. There have been two different cars seen in the neighborhood that don't belong," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"So, the guy who shot the paintballs is not the same person who shot out the streetlights," Elliot nodded.</p>
<p>"It would not seem that way," Officer Smith agreed.</p>
<p>"We need those tame letters. Jose may not be the problem," Olivia heaved a sigh.</p>
<p>"There is someone else that thinks Calvin knows something that he might not even realize is a thing," her partner said.</p>
<p>"I'm calling the State Police. We need this scene and the street closed off. Everything needs to be preserved," Chief Hall told them before whipping out his cell phone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olivia had gone into Calvin's room and found the letters. She'd had a technician bag them as part of the evidence at the scene. The State Police had arrived twenty minutes after the Chief radioed them and had quickly worked to take over the scene. The Chief was talking to Trooper Hoggle, who was the liaison between the departments.</p>
<p>"You found them. Where did he hide them?" Elliot asked as Olivia walked out of the house with an evidence bag holding the letters.</p>
<p>"The same place he hid stuff when he was at my place, underneath his comic books," she smiled a little.</p>
<p>"We need to analyze these. My guess is that we'll get lucky with ID'ing whoever this other guy is," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"Well we've seen the other letters. What could possibly be in these letters that's worse?" Olivia asked. It was a good question. While the perp didn't know that Ethel had intercepted and separated the letters, he obviously thought that Vivian must have blabbed about something.</p>
<p>"There's a good chance that this guy is enough of a tweaker that he thinks there is something but there actually isn't," her partner pointed out.</p>
<p>"A tweaker who thinks to shoot out the streetlights before he possibly shoots up the house?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Someone still has to drive," Elliot said. There being a pair of people in the car would not be totally out of the realm of possibility. The eyewitnesses couldn't tell what kind of car it was, so maybe they didn't see someone hiding in the backseat or slumped low in the passenger seat.</p>
<p>"I think I need to talk to Calvin. I really wanted to leave him out of it but I'm not sure I have a choice now," Olivia sighed.</p>
<p>"Trooper Hoggle has this under control. Let's head back to the precinct. Calvin might want to talk to Olivia and I definitely want to talk to Clint and Ethel," Chief Hall said.</p>
<p>"Sounds good. We got the letters and hopefully we can figure out what is going on," Elliot said. That's when Olivia's phone rang. She picked it up and her eyes went wide. Elliot looked at her and waited for her to get off the phone.</p>
<p>"We've involved the state police. I'll call you back when I know who we're sending up. Thanks Marie," with that the phone call was over.</p>
<p>"What have you got?" Chief Hall wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Marie and her partner found Jose Gonzalez. They've picked him up and was wondering who was coming to get him," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Elliot, would you mind going? You can take Officer Roberts with you," Chief Hall offered.</p>
<p>"Sounds like a plan. I'll be back as soon as I can," Elliot smiled, and he walked over to Officer Roberts. Chief Hall led the way back to the vehicles and opened the passenger door of his cruiser for Olivia. Elliot hopped into their car and he and Officer Roberts headed for Albany.</p>
<p>"I'll give you my office. Take your time," the Chief said as he drove the short trip back to the precinct.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Olivia said. She was clutching the evidence bag that the letters were in as if it were some sort of life vest and she was afloat in the ocean. Hall said nothing, understanding her concerns. These were the last items that Calvin could have to remember his mother. Nothing could happen to them.</p>
<p>They headed inside the precinct and were greeted by Dispatcher Herzberg. The short, older man told them that the family was in the break room. Hall thanked them and said that Olivia would be using his office and he'd send Calvin along to meet her.</p>
<p>Olivia sat in one of the chairs in front of the Chief's desk and didn't have to wait long as the Chief's door opened and revealed the young man. He rushed over to her and they hugged. Once he let go of her, he saw the letters on the Chief's desk, and looked at her confused.</p>
<p>"Calvin, we think the guy who paintballed your grandparents' house is connected to your mom. These letters could be something that helps us find who he is," she explained as he took a seat in the chair next to her.</p>
<p>"Why would anyone want to come after me?" He asked.</p>
<p>"The only thing Elliot and I can think of is that your mom wrote something in these letters that this guy thought would implicate him in something," Olivia admitted. Calvin's face fell and something told Olivia that there was definitely something in the letters.</p>
<p>"That makes them evidence. I won't get them back," he said.</p>
<p>"If there is something in here, yes, it makes them evidence, but you will get them back. As soon as the guy who damaged the house is convicted, you'll get them back," she told him. He trusted her and she only hoped they could do as she said.</p>
<p>"That could take forever," Calvin pointed out.</p>
<p>"And I will be here with you all the way through it. I won't let you go through this alone," another promise.</p>
<p>"You have to go back to catching bad guys in the city," he said.</p>
<p>"I have vacation I never take. There are plenty of days for me to make sure that I'm here for you. Besides Elliot is a pretty capable guy and he has the rest of the team of capable guys to help him. They can track the bad guys in the city while I'm gone," Olivia reassured him.</p>
<p>"You…" Calvin started but didn't finish. Olivia got out of her chair and crouched down in front of him so that they were at the same eye level.</p>
<p>"There is nothing more important to me than you. I will do whatever it takes to make sure we catch this guy and to make sure that you're safe," she told him. Tears began to stream down Calvin's face and Olivia couldn't help but cry too. She stood up and pulled him out of the chair and into her arms. After a few minutes, Calvin said,</p>
<p>"Use the letters. Catch this guy."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Jose, you've been a bad boy. The nice detectives in Albany told us so. Imagine their surprise that someone spotted you here. They told us to keep you as long as we like. Seems they think a few nights here will change your mind," Elliot said inside the small precinct's interrogation room a little while later. Olivia was with him and Chief Hall was wondering if he should have popcorn ready to watch what was about to go down. He was standing on the other side of the one-way glass and had invited the officers to watch the two veteran detectives work.</p>
<p>"In this podunk town? What have I got to be scared about?" Jose was trying to play tough from his spot at the table. He was facing the one way glass.</p>
<p>"Oh you couldn't be more wrong. See we could make the argument that you were driving around, crossing state lines, with drugs in your car. Then you also paintballed a house here. Now the paintball incident by itself would just be a local, misdemeanor charge. Toss in those drugs though… well I think I may have to call in my friend at the DEA," Olivia spoke up. Jose fidgeted in his seat.</p>
<p>"You can't prove that," he said.</p>
<p>"Wrong again. You're on a roll Jose. You see Albany police are checking your vehicle right now. If they find drugs or a paintball gun, you're screwed. Not to mention if they find Vivian's DNA…" Elliot let that thought out into the world.</p>
<p>"Vivian?" Jose turned a little green.</p>
<p>"She'd dead but you already knew that," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"I had nothing to do with that," Jose stammered.</p>
<p>"Then why are you shooting paintballs at the house where her son is living? Who'd you get the address from, if not Vivian?" Elliot asked. Jose swallowed hard and sweat started to bead up on his forehead.</p>
<p>"Detective Gavronski is going to call me and when she tells me what they've found, it'll be all over. We won't want to hear your side. Then the DEA will collect you and then it's off to federal prison for you," Olivia needled him. More sweat on Jose's forehead. He definitely knew something, something that would help them crack the case.</p>
<p>"If I tell you what I know, you'll let me go?" Jose asked.</p>
<p>"No can do. You'll have to pay for what you've done but maybe we can lessen the blow and leave the Feds out of it," Elliot said. Jose nodded and seemed to be debating his next words.</p>
<p>"You're from New York City, what are you doing up here?" The drug user suddenly had a thought.</p>
<p>"Vivian was an informant. Detective Gavronski called us when they found her body. Seems that you have a nasty habit of pissing off every jurisdiction you can," Olivia told him.</p>
<p>"No way would Viv inform. No way," Jose said.</p>
<p>"Well then why is she dead?" Elliot asked. Jose heaved a sigh. He definitely knew more than he was saying.</p>
<p>"I want protection. You gotta understand. This guy is crazy," Jose was starting to crack.</p>
<p>"We'll see what we can do. What do you know?" Elliot pressed.</p>
<p>"Viv started talking about getting clean. She'd often say that and then crash hard so no one really took her seriously. She was sending letters to her kid and she and I would talk about him. Some days she wanted to get back to him and some days she would not talk about him at all. One day, Jimmy showed up while we were getting high. Dude has a serious problem. I mean we all do but Jimmy…" Jose trailed off.</p>
<p>"He get angry real easy?" Elliot asked.</p>
<p>"Like a bull seeing red, man. It would not take him much. He'd travel around with this big silent dude. I don't know his name but it wasn't like I wanted to get in his way," the drug user said.</p>
<p>"Paranoia?" Olivia wondered.</p>
<p>"Always looking over his shoulder which is why big and ugly was always at his side. At first I thought it was to protect him during buys but when he started coming around the house, I figured he was there to break legs," Jose explained.</p>
<p>"So if I said to you that Jimmy could be afraid that Vivian was talking about him in her letters, you'd say…" Elliot let the thought trail off.</p>
<p>"First off, I don't know what Vivian wrote about but I highly doubt she put anything in her letters regarding Jimmy. She wouldn't be that dumb. She owed him money and she wouldn't want to make him think she was informing on him," Jose shook his head.</p>
<p>"How do you pay Jimmy? No way he gives out drugs for free," Olivia pointed out.</p>
<p>"Well Jimmy will take things in trade if you don't have the dough. I work at a convenience store so I have money. I tried to give Vivian some. Told her to get herself out of Albany but she wouldn't do it," Jose heaved a sigh.</p>
<p>"Why would she need to get out of Albany? Was Jimmy after her for the money she owed?" Olivia wanted to know.</p>
<p>"She hadn't paid him in a while. I wasn't sure how she was getting her fix but I had an idea. Problem is, Jimmy would only let you trade so many times before you found yourself in trouble," Jose said.</p>
<p>"What kind of trouble?" Elliot had a good idea but he wanted to hear it first.</p>
<p>"You talk to Detective Gavronski and ask her about Don, Jeff, Alice, and Emma. She'll be able to fill you in," Jose refused to say more. Olivia narrowed her eyes.</p>
<p>"So why did you paintball the house?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Jimmy disappeared and I figured that there was only one place he could be. Even if he wasn't here, I figured if I shot the house up, the police would start hanging around the house. Then the kid and the people he's staying with would move out until the house could get fixed," Jose said.</p>
<p>"You were trying to warn him," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"I just wanted them to know something was coming because I figured they didn't know," Jose admitted.</p>
<p>"I have a phone call to make," with that Olivia left the room. Detective Gavronski was about to get a phone call.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, what did Marie have to say?" Elliot asked once Olivia got off the phone. Jose did not have anything else to give and the Chief agreed to hold him on the destruction of property charge until they could see if Albany could dig anything else up. The two now started moving toward the Chief's office.</p>
<p>"She knew those names even without me having last names. According to her they all died differently so there was no way to tie them all together," his partner explained.</p>
<p>"But she somehow knew who you were talking about," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"The only reason she knew was because they all were addicts. At one point or another they were scooped up near the house, where they found Vivian, in drug sweeps. She pulled their files while forensics was going over Jose's car," Olivia told him.</p>
<p>"Ah so what do we have?" He asked as they reached the Chief's door. Olivia knocked but the Chief did not answer. They both guessed that meant he was still walking Jose through booking.</p>
<p>"Don OD'd, Jeff was shot, Alice was strangled, and this last one is a bit of a doozy," Olivia heaved a sigh and Elliot wondered how bad it could be.</p>
<p>"Emma was hit by a car as she attempted to run from someone who was chasing her. Witnesses say a large white guy saw the accident and ran from the scene," she finished.</p>
<p>"So safe to say that Jimmy and his large silent guy had a hand in all of them, but Albany has no way to tie them all together as you mentioned," Elliot frowned.</p>
<p>"But what drug dealer kills their customers? I mean I guess if they aren't paying it could be a warning to other but four deaths, plus possibly Vivian's, is a lot of customers to kill. A lot of money goes with them," Olivia frowned as well.</p>
<p>"There you two are. Hope the boys learned something from your interview. We don't get to conduct many interviews like that up here," Chief Hall smiled as he walked up to them.</p>
<p>"I hope they did too. I'm more and more worried about Calvin and the Drecker's safety though," Olivia admitted as they all went into the Chief's office. She quickly explained her phone call to Detective Gavronski as they all took seats around the Chief's desk.</p>
<p>"How could Albany explain the deaths of this Jeff and Alice? I mean an addict OD'ing really wouldn't raise anyone suspicions but being shot or strangled does raise quite a few questions," Hall said.</p>
<p>"Well there was no evidence at the scene of the shooting which was only a few blocks from the drug house. The bullet they pulled from Jeff's skull was so mangled that there is nothing there forensically other than it was a nine-millimeter round. The crime scene was in an alley and it rained for three days before anyone found the body," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"That's nasty," Chief Hall shook his head. No one likes dealing with three days of decomp, no matter who they are.</p>
<p>"Alice was strangled in a different alley. They believe her day job as a sex worker put her there and that the real killer could always blame a phantom John as the killer. Whoever killed her wore gloves and left no DNA at the scene," she explained.</p>
<p>"So, she might never have gotten to the usual portion of the program that involved any acts on our killer," Elliot frowned.</p>
<p>"No signs of rape, so it's possible or she was just using other parts of her body that left her in a vulnerable position. That brings me to Vivian," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"You think she was trading sex for drugs," Chief Hall spoke up.</p>
<p>"It's about the only thing that makes sense. She didn't have money and Jimmy wasn't going to trust her with a stash or any of his cash, peddling on a corner somewhere," Olivia admitted.</p>
<p>"So much like Jose's buddy Don, she died of an overdose. In Vivian's case, we don't have enough evidence to say it was a hotshot. What about Don's case?" Elliot asked.</p>
<p>"Marie figured it was but much like Vivian; too much decomposition in order to run a decent tox screen," she explained.</p>
<p>"So, a bunch of dead ends and bodies in this case," Hall shook his head.</p>
<p>"So, it would seem. There is still something that I can't figure out," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"The ear and the note," Elliot said. She nodded.</p>
<p>"A what now?" Hall gave them a look.</p>
<p>"I was sent an ear from Albany not long after Vivian's body arrived in our morgue. There was a note inside the box, but it was covered in blood. Our forensic techs haven't had any luck trying to figure out what it says," Olivia explained.</p>
<p>"How would someone know where you were and who you are?" Hall asked.</p>
<p>"I think that is what remains in the letters from Vivian that we haven't read yet. I have to be the reason that Calvin is in danger," she heaved a sigh and Elliot put a hand on her shoulder.</p>
<p>"You had no idea that Vivian was writing letters. We need to go through them though. That might be the thing that sows it up," he said.</p>
<p>"I agree. Check in with your forensics guys and see if they could translate that note or at least have a timeline. Meantime, I'll make sure that Calvin and the Drecker's check into your hotel and have an officer to keeping them company. We can't take any chances. For all we know our large silent guy is some sort of a serial killer using this Jimmy as a source of people to kill," Chief Hall said. The plan of action set, everyone quickly got to work.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olivia and Elliot entered their hotel room, completely exhausted. They had not been able to get through all of the letters that night and a message had been left for CSU tech Bobby Hines. So far none of the letters seemed to give anything away.</p>
<p>"I need a shower," she said as Elliot made sure the door was shut and locked.</p>
<p>"Go for it. I'm just going to get ready for bed," he told her. Olivia grabbed what she needed from her suitcase and headed into the bathroom. Under the hot water, she tried to clear her head. She was concerned about Calvin and concerned about what Vivian had gotten herself into prior to her death. The letter that had been in the box with Vivian's ear swirled in her head. What did it say? Why would the letter not have been protected from the ear like the package? With more questions than answers, Olivia finally gave up on the shower and turned off the water.</p>
<p>"You ok?" Elliot's voice came through the door. The bathroom was entirely steamed up. Being late in the day, the hot water just continued to flow. Olivia covered herself up in a towel, unable to get dressed in the hot bathroom.</p>
<p>"Sorry, just trying to think some things out," she admitted.</p>
<p>"We'll be lucky if the toilet paper will be useable. We could probably use it for Paper Mache," he teased, taking her clothes from her hand. Olivia shook her head.</p>
<p>"Calvin and his grandparents are safe. We're narrowing the field. We'll catch these guys. Just like we always do," Elliot promised.</p>
<p>"I'm too close to this. I'm not thinking clearly," she told him.</p>
<p>"You're thinking just fine. We've had a long day. We're both tired. We just need sleep," her partner tried to convince her. Olivia heaved a sigh and took her clothes back from him.</p>
<p>"I think it's less steamy in the bathroom now," she went in and closed the door. Elliot turned away from the door and couldn't help but think about how close he'd been to seeing her completely naked. He shook his head. His partner needed his undivided attention right now, not his dirty thoughts. It was just that he couldn't help himself. He promised her that they'd go slow. He promised her that he wouldn't jeopardize his situation with Kathy and the divorce. Of course, Kathy would make the insinuation they slept together anyway since the department wasn't going to spring for two hotel rooms. Didn't matter that there were two twin beds in the room.</p>
<p>"I could hear you thinking from in the bathroom," Olivia's voice made him turn around. She was wearing tasteful matching pajama top and bottom – and no bra. It made sense of course. No woman went to bed wearing a bra.</p>
<p>"I think I need a shower," Elliot said, swallowing hard. Olivia raised an eyebrow. They had done a bunch of crazy things as partners, including him seeing her in her bra. Covered head to foot in pajamas wasn't exactly her sexiest look. She walked over to him and looked him in the eye.</p>
<p>"Yeah shower," he repeated but remained glued to the floor. Olivia took Elliot's hands in hers. His palms were sweaty. This was not the usual brooding confidence that he displayed. The inner strength, that only she knew just how deep it was, seemed to be completely gone. She was confused but it didn't last long and quickly turned to surprise as Elliot took her face in his hands and kissed her.</p>
<p>"We're both going to need a shower if we keep that up," Olivia said after they parted.</p>
<p>"I made a promise," he said, putting his forehead on hers.</p>
<p>"I was the one that made you make that promise," she reminded him before kissing him. He pulled her toward his bed and pulled her onto his lap.</p>
<p>"El…" she didn't want to stop him. He had been her support through everything that had been happening before and after Jenna. Now she felt like this was something that would help both of them. Then her phone rang.</p>
<p>"Damn," Elliot cursed. Olivia begrudgingly pulled away from him and picked up her phone.</p>
<p>"Sorry for calling so late Detective Benson," it was Bobby Hines.</p>
<p>"You wouldn't be calling unless you have something," she said.</p>
<p>"I have something," he was smiling on the other end of the phone even though she couldn't see him. Olivia couldn't believe what he told her next.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Olivia scooted down to the hotel room where Calvin and his grandparents were staying. The officer stationed in the hallway knocked on the door and announced who was there for a visit. Once Olivia was through the door, Calvin came up and they hugged.</p>
<p>"Hanging in there?" She asked.</p>
<p>"Are the letters helping?" He wanted to know.</p>
<p>"We have a few more to go through. That's our first task today," Olivia didn't want to tell him what the phone call from Bobby Hines had been about. Hopefully he'd never have to hear about that.</p>
<p>"When can we go home?" Clint gave her a look from his spot on the queen bed. Calvin had been sleeping on a pull out cot.</p>
<p>"Until we have these guys in custody, it isn't safe. Jose was not trying to harm you; he was trying to warn you. Both Chief Hall and Albany PD are on the look out for our suspects but they haven't surfaced yet. Even if they did, we don't have enough for murder charges, only the drug charges. Those would hold but only for a little while," the detective explained.</p>
<p>"Olivia always gets the bad guys," Calvin's vote of confidence was greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>"I do but they don't always play nice with people's schedules," she winked at him.</p>
<p>"Well we appreciate everything you've been doing," Ethel spoke up from her spot next to her husband.</p>
<p>"I'll check back in later. Hopefully, I'll have some updates," Olivia promised. She made the turn to go when she felt Calvin grab her hand. Olivia turned back around and looked at him. The look on his face said it all. He wanted this all to be over. The poor kid had had to grow up fast and life just wouldn't let him coast for a while.</p>
<p>"She has to go catch those bad guys. She'll be back," Ethel said. She'd come up behind him, partially wanting to talk to Olivia but not with everyone listening. The older woman looked at Olivia and the detective smiled.</p>
<p>"She's right. I'll be back," she gave Calvin a quick hug and then went out the door. It was obvious that Calvin was developing abandonment issues. Thanking the deputy who was guarding the family, she scooted back down the hall and placed a call to Doctor Huang.</p>
<p>"I got an e-mail this morning…" Chief Hall didn't get to finish as he let the two detectives into office a short while later.</p>
<p>"Our lab tech was able to clean up the note," Elliot nodded as they took the seats in front of his desk they'd vacated the night before.</p>
<p>"I certainly hope that the rest of your unit is keeping an eye on your apartment, Olivia. Definitely glad that the family is in protective custody," Hall was concerned.</p>
<p>"Not the first time I've been threatened and it probably won't be the last. I am glad that we got Calvin and the Dreckers safe as well," she said.</p>
<p>"There were two things I wanted to ask about though," Chief Hall turned his computer screen so they could see it. There was the threatening message that Olivia had almost committed to memory.</p>
<p>"<em>I know who you arE Calvin. I know who Detective Benson is. Don't Make me Send you Another body part or comE to Visit you.</em> What's with the letters? If it was sent to you, why does it start with Calvin's name?" Hall asked. Bobby had mentioned that the letters were odd – some capitalized and some not. Since the paper had been soaked, handwriting analysis could not be run but he'd tried running combinations of the letters but there was nothing overly decipherable.</p>
<p>"Problem is, we're assuming that a drug addled dealer is going to make sense," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"True, but it's possible his silent friend isn't as drug addled. Our coroner, Melinda, confirmed that the ear was cut off just after Vivian died. Our killer was in the room when it happened. Regrettably, she has been unable to find a cause of death. She said she's marking it undetermined which allows us to continue to investigate," Olivia told them.</p>
<p>"Ok run with me on this one. Our Jimmy decides that Vivian is out to get him, which could be, we need to finish the letters. So he makes sure she's dead, let's say hotshot for the moment, he cuts off her ear. He then decides to send it to you. Why not cut out the middleman? As awful as it is, why not just send the ear to Calvin?" Hall wondered as he turned his screen back around.</p>
<p>"He'd bet that his grandparents wouldn't call the cops," Elliot nodded.</p>
<p>"Exactly," Hall agreed. Olivia had fallen silent – her mind was churning.</p>
<p>"Liv?" Her partner asked.</p>
<p>"What if the message was meant to be undecipherable? Not necessarily to us but to someone else?" She spoke up, whipping out her notepad. She wrote down all of the letters on it.</p>
<p>"Run that by me again?" Hall was confused.</p>
<p>"Look at the letters. I, E, C, I, D, B, D, M, S, A, E, and V. If we pull out the letters that should be capitalized – I, C, I, D, B, and D – that leaves E, M, S, A, E, V," Olivia started.</p>
<p>"Ok, I'm with you now. The first batch doesn't form anything though," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"Because they aren't supposed to," she pointed out, having already solved the puzzle. Olivia didn't blame Bobby for missing it. He'd been on his fourth pot of coffee and his twelfth hour on shift. She'd told him to go home and get some sleep and promised him that she'd treat him to dinner when she and Elliot got back.</p>
<p>"Guys, the last batch… E, save me," Hall's eyes went wide.</p>
<p>"That's why they didn't send the ear to Calvin. The message was always meant for me," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Well I think it's safe to say that Jimmy didn't write this," Elliot pointed out.</p>
<p>"No. Jimmy would not invite the police to his doorstep but I can bet that he would have been there to make sure that Vivian was dead," Chief Hall nodded.</p>
<p>"Agreed but something doesn't sit right. The letter started mentioning Calvin. What do you want to bet that the person who wrote the note also made sure that the ear didn't go to Calvin? They made a point of not addressing the box until after Jimmy was doing something else," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"It's the only thing that makes sense. Then, despite the warning, Jose finds out that Jimmy is going to head over to Calvin's anyway. Probably figured that Calvin might know more than he actually does and Jimmy's paranoia gets the best of him," Olivia told them.</p>
<p>"Right. He has no idea that the NYPD is on his case but I wouldn't be surprised if Jose's little stunt makes him think there's another mole," the Chief frowned. Olivia's phone rang and she quickly answered it. The phone call was short and after a few minutes she was back off the phone.</p>
<p>"That was Marie. They found the paintball gun in Jose's van along with some pills. The stakeout of the drug den has not proven fruitful. They're beginning to wonder if Jimmy has taken off. The usual addicts have stopped showing up to the house," she explained.</p>
<p>"After finding Vivian' body they released the house and didn't just tear it down?" Chief Hall asked.</p>
<p>"They figured that if they let it stay that the addicts would return, so would Jimmy. Knock it down and they scatter to the wind," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Smart but perhaps now we've got a bigger situation," the Chief said.</p>
<p>"Agreed. Jimmy and his silent friend are in the wind. You think this silent person would kill Jimmy?" Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"If he views it as his only way out, maybe. We don't know if Jimmy committed the murders and made the person watch or he killed the others because Jimmy made him," Olivia pointed out.</p>
<p>"Well let's get through these letters and then we'll go from there. I'll get a fresh pot of coffee going," Chief Hall told them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Calvin, you know I miss you and I love you right? I know that you can't respond to my letters but I want to be sure that you know. Detective Benson isn't your mother, I am," Olivia read that part of the letter she'd been scanning out loud. Calvin could not write back, as the letter stated, because his mother never put a return address on the envelopes. All there was, was the address of the Drecker's and an Albany postmark.</p>
<p>"Well there is where Jimmy got your name," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"I can't be the only Benson who is also a detective in the US," she said.</p>
<p>"Yeah but in the last letter I read Vivian was busy talking about their time in the Bronx. It's possible that Vivian casually mentioned her previous life in a conversation with our drug dealer," Chief Hall told them.</p>
<p>"So that might have been everything Jimmy needed to figure out that Liv was NYPD," Elliot frowned.</p>
<p>"But how would he find out what precinct I'm at? While there's been scuttlebutt about a public database for officers with complaints against them, nothing has actually been done yet," Olivia reminded him.</p>
<p>"You have complaints against you?" Chief Hall gave her a look, surprised that the woman in front of him would be the kind of officer that got into trouble. He highly doubted her Captain would allow her to travel up to Vermont if he had to keep an eye on her. Being a top cop in a small town made the Chief very picky about his officers and he made sure that they were always doing the best they could. He wanted to avoid officers who were trouble, given how small his department was, there was very little room for error in the public trust department.</p>
<p>"Some rapists tend to make complaints when you arrest them. It's their last chance at controlling the situation and if they can get the officers involved in their arrest in trouble, all the better," Olivia explained.</p>
<p>"Personally I think they don't like being arrested by a woman," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"I could see that," Hall nodded.</p>
<p>"I am not perfect. There are things that I regret but my record is fairly clean," she said. Elliot felt like speaking up about her commendations but decided against it. He was very proud of her and she knew that. No need to get defensive in front of the Chief.</p>
<p>"I think we all have our moments of bad judgement. We're people too. I know that before I became Chief, I was a bit of a loose cannon. Fresh off of my active military duty, I guess I wanted to test how far I could push," Hall seemed to understand.</p>
<p>"It's Elliot's job to be the loose cannon," Olivia chuckled. Her partner made a fake betrayed look and Chief Hall couldn't help but laugh. They needed the levity. A few minutes later Olivia found something else in the letter she'd been reading.</p>
<p>"Detective Benson and that entire unit can go to hell. We had a good life before they interfered. We'd be together if they hadn't come into our lives," she said.</p>
<p>"She didn't like you very much did she? Kind of surprised that Ethel let this one go through her censoring," Chief Hall raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Well it isn't nearly as bad as those other letters. As far as Vivian, I can't say as I blame her. I had to tell her that her mother had been assaulted by a serial rapist and that this rapist was now striking again. Vivian didn't know that. After we spoke, she started into her spiral. The reason Calvin is attached to me is because Vivian signed legal guardianship of him over to me. She just left him at the precinct with legal paperwork. With his grandparents here and Vivian not wanting his father near him, there was no one else. She figured I could take care of him. I did for a few months," Olivia finally explained. She hadn't wanted to go there but she figured the truth could no longer be hidden.</p>
<p>"Then something happened and she took him back. I'm guessing the crime his father committed," Hall said. Olivia nodded. It wasn't all of the facts but it was enough that the Chief understood.</p>
<p>"So when she was having one of these kinds of days that she felt the need to bash you, it's a safe bet that something slipped out and Jimmy found it to be quite interesting," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"Probably. How many letters are left?" Olivia wondered.</p>
<p>"Just this one," Hall picked it up from his desk.</p>
<p>"I'll read it. Hopefully there is something more concrete in this one we can use against Jimmy and his friend," she told him. That's when her cell phone rang. Pulling it out of her pocket, Olivia saw that it was a local number and quickly picked it up.</p>
<p>"Benson,"</p>
<p>"I don't have much time. Clint took Calvin out to get us burgers for dinner. We need to talk about Calvin's mental health. I'm concerned," it was Ethel.</p>
<p>"Me too. I've put in a call to a doctor friend of mine," Olivia told her.</p>
<p>"Good but we need to talk about his custody and I don't want to do it with him around," Ethel said. Olivia was beginning to grow even more concerned.</p>
<p>"Ok. Tonight after Calvin goes to sleep, we'll talk," Olivia promised.</p>
<p>"Great. Thank you Olivia," with that the call ended. Elliot and Chief Hall were both looking at her, hoping everything was ok.</p>
<p>"I need to make another phone call," she stood up and left the office.</p>
<p>"She going to be ok?" Chief Hall was concerned.</p>
<p>"She'll be ok when Calvin is ok," Elliot said. That's when his phone went off. He picked it up and was surprised who was on the other end.</p>
<p>"Stabler,"</p>
<p>"It's Detective Gavronski. Olivia's phone was busy. I think you guys need to come to Albany," Marie told him.</p>
<p>"What is it?" Elliot asked.</p>
<p>"We found something you're going to want to see," she said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elliot and Olivia had left the Chief's office right away with the elder law officer promising to read Vivian's last letter. Detective Gavronski had been coy and not given them an idea of what they were driving an hour and twenty minutes to go see. The car ride, however, was spent discussing Ethel's phone call.</p>
<p>"Huang hasn't called me back. I don't know what to do," Olivia admitted.</p>
<p>"He'll call you. Maybe Ethel can give you a better idea of what is going on when you guys talk later tonight," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"As dumb as this sounds, I feel like I'm abandoning him. I mean, he's living with his grandparents, it's not like he's in the system or living in an abusive situation. He's with family and yet…" she heaved a sigh as Elliot turned off the highway.</p>
<p>"It's not dumb. You were raising him, you grew attached, and you miss him. That's completely natural. It's obvious he misses you," her partner told her. He took his right hand off the steering wheel and gently grabbed her left hand, running his thumb over the back of it.</p>
<p>"That is causing him pain. When we're done here, I'm leaving again. Everyone who comes into his life runs away. First, his dad, and then his mom. Then she takes him from me, which I'm pretty sure he views as some sort of betrayal, and leaves him with grandparents that he barely knows. Then his father commits murder and is never getting out of prison. Now I've popped back into his life, only to tell him that his mother is dead and never coming back. I'd have a complex too after all of that," Olivia shook her head. Elliot nodded. He did feel bad for Calvin and he had no idea how he could help the young man. A few minutes of silence followed before Elliot pulled the car into Marie's precinct. They got out of the car, Olivia immediately missing the warmth of Elliot's hand on hers.</p>
<p>"Evening, how can I help you?" A man at the desk with Sergeant stripes and a nametag that read "Teague" asked.</p>
<p>"Benson and Stabler for Detective Gavronski," the two flashed their badges. The Sergeant smiled and placed a quick call upstairs to the detectives' bureau. Olivia gave him a once over noticing that he was about Elliot's age, not as broad shouldered, and taller than her partner. His sandy blonde hair was cropped close and he would have looked more imposing in his uniform, if he hadn't been smiling.</p>
<p>"So, what did Marie do?" He asked once he got off the phone. They could tell that Teague was teasing them as he continued to smile.</p>
<p>"Managed to get caught up in a case of ours. Seems the person we were looking for scooted up here," Elliot smiled back.</p>
<p>"Sounds like her. Always helping out. She'll be down in a minute," Teague said.</p>
<p>"Thanks," Olivia smiled at him. He nodded and the two detectives stepped out of the way as more people approached the desk, looking for help.</p>
<p>"Benson and Stabler, I presume?" The raven-haired woman who was coming down the stairs that were off to the right of the desk asked. She was about five foot five, dressed in a smart grey pantsuit with a light purple top, with sensible black shoes. The suite was quite fitted, and it was obvious to both detectives that the younger woman spent some time at the gym.</p>
<p>"That's us. What was so important that you couldn't tell us over the phone?" Olivia asked as they exchanged handshakes.</p>
<p>"Well, I kind of have to show you. No good way to explain it otherwise," Marie admitted.</p>
<p>"Lead on then," Elliot nodded. They quickly headed back up the stairs which lead to a bullpen not very much different from their own.</p>
<p>"Detectives Benson and Stabler, Detective Molly Shea. We've been working this together," Marie made the introduction. Detective Shea was about Olivia's age and height. The brunette didn't go to the gym as much as her partner, but she gave a firm handshake.</p>
<p>"Glad to have you with us. The mail had a little something that we thought you'd like to see," Molly pointed to the moveable board near Marie's desk. Taped to it were pictures and something else that looked like a letter from a serial killer. The message was obviously formed through cutting letters out of newspapers and magazines. It had also been forensically analyzed as the letter had fingerprint dust on it and the evidence bag that it was in.</p>
<p>"What the hell is going on?" Olivia frowned.</p>
<p>"We figure this is the same guy who sent you that ear. See why I couldn't explain over the phone?" Marie asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah, this one is a weird one. We found a hidden message in the blood-soaked letter that was in with the ear. Given its context, we think that Jimmy's silent helper sent the message. The ear was probably meant for Calvin but was sent to Olivia as a cry for help," Elliot explained.</p>
<p>"What did the hidden message say?" Molly wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Save me," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Not the same tone of this message. Maybe we're wrong?" Marie wondered.</p>
<p>"I don't want to do it, but you leave me no choice. I must set myself free. Remember that it is your fault," Elliot read the message aloud.</p>
<p>"He must have assumed that I didn't get the original message. Why send this to you though?" Olivia was confused.</p>
<p>"We're not narcotics but that is where the letter was sent. They passed it along since they knew we were trying to work on the murders related to that drug house," Molly explained.</p>
<p>"Ah. So, he sends the letter to me with the ear, so I'd get involved. Maybe he doesn't trust your narco officers?" Olivia frowned.</p>
<p>"We still can't figure out why this guy wouldn't leave Jimmy. I mean I get not being confident enough to take him on physically. Dude has serious issues, but why not head straight to the local precinct and say – 'I can put away this crazy guy, but I need help'?" Marie wondered.</p>
<p>"Jimmy must have him on a short leash. Although we're assuming that Jimmy did the killing and that this guy was forced to watch or maybe he's the one who chased Emma into the road? Maybe his hands aren't clean so he was hoping that Jimmy would get arrested and then he'd be in the clear?" Elliot couldn't figure out what this guy was getting at. Olivia stared at the message. Something bothered her about it.</p>
<p>"Something isn't right," she said.</p>
<p>"This whole thing is pretty messed up," Shea agreed.</p>
<p>"Yes and no. The letter that was sent with the ear was handwritten; it was coded. Capital letters that didn't belong gave us this message. This letter is cut out of magazines and newspapers. It's an arts and crafts project. When was the last time you saw a drug addict, one that is so addicted, he hangs out with the actual drug dealer, do an arts and crafts project?" Olivia wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Yeah, that would be never," Elliot agreed.</p>
<p>"The first note is furtive. He's trying to get our attention but not Jimmy's. This letter screams for attention. Our unsub not only finds the time to do this, but he also manages to get magazines and newspapers? The individual letters don't look dirty like something that has been fished out of the trash. It's not like the drug house gets mail. Finding a cardboard box and a plastic bag to stuff an ear in not nearly that hard in a nearby dumpster or even steal them from local businesses. Elliot, you said it, the package missed the small details, you bag the ear in plastic but then put the letter in with it," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"This letter missed nothing. No visible fingerprints, letters cut out so there is no handwriting to compare… how did the envelope come?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"They have it down in forensics. They're hoping our guy got sloppy and licked the envelope," Marie said.</p>
<p>"Two different people wrote these notes…" Olivia narrowed her eyes at the letter and the photos on the moveable board. That's when Detective Shea's phone rang. She quickly excused herself and answered it.</p>
<p>"What kind of psycho are we dealing with?" Elliot asked the ladies as they all stare at the board.</p>
<p>"I have no idea. If it is a psycho, it'd be my first. The bulk of the murderers I arrest are just bad people," Marie admits.</p>
<p>"Well things just got officially weirder," Molly said as she hung up the phone. The three detectives turn around when they hear her say that.</p>
<p>"Who was it?" Her partner asked.</p>
<p>"The coroner. Jimmy is dead," Detective Shea told them.</p>
<p>"How?" Olivia wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Shot between the eyes. Doctor Jones is just about to start the autopsy and thought we'd like to know," Molly explained.</p>
<p>"So maybe Jimmy wasn't our killer after all," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"Maybe not or maybe his buddy saw an opportunity and took it," Olivia said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a knock on the door and Elliot opened it. The two had returned to their hotel, telling Detectives Gavronski and Shea to keep them informed if something popped during the autopsy. They promised to be back in the morning after catching up with Chief Hall.</p>
<p>"Hi Ethel," he smiled slightly.</p>
<p>"Hi. I appreciate you helping with this," the elder woman said as he let her into the hotel room.</p>
<p>"Of course," Elliot told her. They moved into the room and there was Olivia sitting in one of the chairs that had come with the room. She was on the phone with Doctor Huang. The FBI forensic psychiatrist had finally called her back. He'd been out on another case which is why he hadn't called earlier.</p>
<p>"Thanks Doc. I'll call you later," Olivia told him before hanging up.</p>
<p>"Was that your friend?" Ethel asked as she took a seat in the other chair near the window.</p>
<p>"Yes. He's got some ideas and would like to help. Problem is, he can't come up here to do so," the detective heaved a sigh. Elliot gave her a look from his spot on the bed nearby.</p>
<p>"I looked into services but we're a small town. I don't want everyone thinking Calvin is a whack job," Ethel said. The population of Manchester was only about forty-two hundred people. It was very likely that keeping things a secret would be hard. While the psychiatrist could not ethically say anything to anyone, that didn't mean people wouldn't talk about Calvin seeing the doctor.</p>
<p>"Doctor Huang said that he didn't know any of the local doctors personally but he promised that if Calvin didn't like them, he'd try to find someone else nearby," Olivia said. She understood where Ethel was coming from but a local doctor would be best for Calvin. Minimal disruptions to his schedule or life – the last thing he needed was to miss school for appointments or have to have his grandparents move so they could be closer to a good therapist.</p>
<p>Ethel looked down at her hands. There was something she had to say but she had no idea how to say it. Olivia could see the battle raging in this woman and that's when she noticed that the elder woman's color was off. She'd noticed that earlier but didn't say anything, chalking it up to stress, given the situation.</p>
<p>"Calvin needs to go home with you," finally the words tumbled out.</p>
<p>"What's going on Ethel? Are you all right?" Olivia immediately grew concerned.</p>
<p>"No, I'm not. I couldn't say it before but I feel now like I have no choice. The results of my biopsy came back today," Ethel swallowed.</p>
<p>"Biopsy?" Olivia had no idea that something was going on with the older woman. She'd seemed so lively when they first arrived. Regrettably, the detective had been so concerned about Calvin and Vivian's case, that she hadn't paid close enough attention to his grandmother over the last few days.</p>
<p>"I had it about a week ago before all of this. My doctor called and confirmed what I feared, breast cancer. They want me to go in for a mammogram and then possibly a CAT scan tomorrow to see how it has spread or if it's just the lump," Ethel admitted. Olivia left her chair and pulled the woman into a hug.</p>
<p>"If it's as bad as I think, I don't want Calvin around. He doesn't need to see me deteriorate given his fragile state. That poor boy has been through enough," the elder woman said after they parted.</p>
<p>"We'll figure this out. Do you want me to come with you to your appointment?" Olivia offered, without a second thought, as she sat back down.</p>
<p>"I would appreciate it. Clint was going to try and cover for me with Calvin so he doesn't know where I'm going but I don't really want to go alone," Ethel confessed.</p>
<p>"No, of course not," Olivia said, now understanding why the elder woman wanted to have this conversation in private.</p>
<p>"Tomorrow I'll see about finding someone who can help us with custody after I help out Albany PD," Elliot spoke up. His partner looked up at him and gave him a smile. She really appreciated him taking that all on by himself.</p>
<p>"Us?" Ethel was a tad confused.</p>
<p>"Well Liv and I spend so much time together; I've gotten in the habit of saying 'us'. Besides, I think Calvin might like a male presence in his life," Elliot winked, quickly covering up the slip.</p>
<p>"Yes, I suppose he would. I'm so sorry for this. I don't want Calvin to feel like we don't love him but I just don't know…" the implication was clear. He'd already lost his mom and now, with this development, things could spiral. No one wanted Calvin to go down a hole he could not climb out of.</p>
<p>"Do not be sorry. This was something you could not have predicted. We'll figure this out. I promise. I have plenty of vacation and I'll use it," Olivia's dedication was something that was never in question.</p>
<p>"Thank you so much," Ethel stood and they made sure she got to the hotel room she was sharing with her family.</p>
<p>"Could this get any uglier?" Elliot shook his head. He felt bad for poor Ethel. She loved Calvin but the possibility of leaving Clint alone to handle a young teenage boy was something that she knew would be very difficult, especially given Clint's age.</p>
<p>"I hope not. Maybe Ethel will be lucky enough to only have to get the lump removed," Olivia said. Somewhere in the back of her head, she wondered how true that could be. Ethel certainly knew more about the situation than she had been willing to share and that made Olivia very concerned.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elliot arrived at the Albany PD after bringing Chief Hall up to date. The Chief told him that the last letter wasn't overly helpful, so he wasn't sure what was left to do. Elliot told him maybe nothing since Jimmy was dead. However, he promised to keep the Chief in the loop.</p>
<p>"No Detective Benson?" Detective Shea asked.</p>
<p>"She's handling something back in Vermont. So, I figured I'd help you guys out. We need to know if the family that Jimmy targeted is safe to go home or not," he explained.</p>
<p>"I hope whatever she's got going on goes well. As for our case, I think things took a turn. Doctor Jones handled Jimmy's autopsy for us. We don't have any of the tox screens back yet, but Jones says we'd want to see him in his office. We were just about to head over," Detective Gavronski explained.</p>
<p>"Let's go," Elliot nodded and followed the ladies out to their car, and they drove the short distance to the coroner's office. Introductions were quickly made, and the elder man got down to business.</p>
<p>"You said that you thought that Jimmy did the killings," Jones started. He wore a fancy set of glasses that disconnected in the front, in between the eyes.</p>
<p>"Yes, everything we've heard about him would seem to indicate that he's the one. All of his drug use has led to paranoia and rage," Molly said.</p>
<p>"I doubt that he was able to pull a gun trigger," Jones admitted as he pulled up the CT scan results for them to see on his computer.</p>
<p>"You did a CT scan?" Elliot was impressed.</p>
<p>"Well, there was some bruising on his lower body that I wanted to see how deep the damage was. Sometimes a bruise and lividity can look the same to the untrained eye. His state of undress when the body was found made me curious. I figured it wouldn't hurt to do the whole body since I was already analyzing everything. There was indeed inflammation in the right wrist. Not seeing why this would be, I got a little closer and discovered something," Jones explained pointing to a part of the wrist.</p>
<p>"You see how the muscles there seem to be tighter than they should be?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Honestly Doc, I have no idea," Marie admitted.</p>
<p>"I've probably been doing this for too long. Anyway, I opened his wrist up. Not only did he have a pinched nerve in his right wrist, but the reason it was pinched was because he never got that old fracture in his arm looked at. The bones actually healed improperly around the nerve. It's not very common but it can happen with hairline fractures such as these. Being someone who did not take care of his body, I'm imaging the drugs made the pain go away most of the time. Didn't make his wrist fully functional though," Jones said.</p>
<p>"So big and ugly must have been doing the shooting and strangling," Molly figured.</p>
<p>"Yes. Unless Jimmy learned how to use his left hand, he simply would not have had the strength to use his right hand and have a powerful enough grip. He could still grip things, but the pressure required for a strangulation or a shooting, probably not," the coroner explained.</p>
<p>"But could he have given people hotshots?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Using a needle would have been tough but again not impossible. For a junky, they usually use their dominant hand, which is why the injection sites are often in the non-dominant arm. However, Jimmy had needle marks in both arms. Though I will say that the scarring on the left arm is older. So, he was probably using his left arm and shooting up in his right," Jones said.</p>
<p>"Ok so unless we can confirm that Jimmy could strangle with one hand or use a gun in his left hand, there's a good chance his silent compatriot did the killings at Jimmy's behest. So why shoot Jimmy now?" Molly wondered.</p>
<p>"He invited the cops to look at him so it would seem like now would be the worst time to shoot Jimmy," Elliot agreed.</p>
<p>"Thanks to the Doc here, we now know that Jimmy could not have handled scissors to cut out the magazines and newspaper letters. So perhaps Jimmy wrote the note that ended up with Olivia and our unnamed helper wrote the second letter," Marie said.</p>
<p>"The ear must have been chopped off by our unnamed helper as well. He's wanted someone to notice him from the beginning, but he was thinking the first package wasn't going to the cops," Molly said.</p>
<p>"Ok back up a bit. There's an ear?" Doctor Jones asked. Elliot quickly filled him in on everything that had been going on.</p>
<p>"There is no way that Jimmy could have removed an ear. That requires a steady hand and a decently sharp implement," the coroner confirmed.</p>
<p>"So, Jimmy orders his helper to do all the dirty work. He's paranoid so maybe the first letter is written without a code in mind at all. Maybe he just wrote that way because it was easier given his wrist troubles. We're looking at it as code because we don't know about Jimmy's injury and how that would affect him. It explains why he wrapped the note in with the ear and left evidence inside the package. Our guy with working hands is meticulous. None of the dead bodies can be directly tied to him. Jimmy's body was the third message," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"A hell of a 'look at me' message," Molly said.</p>
<p>"He shot Jimmy because he's afraid that Jimmy is getting all of the credit. Credit that is due to him. He wasn't saying that he was setting himself free from Jimmy. He's setting himself free of our assumptions. Jimmy's body is the only way to fully prove he did all those horrible things and at the same time point out that we have squat," Marie shook her head.</p>
<p>"Our killer has been ten steps ahead this whole time. Now with Jimmy out of the picture, he could be anywhere by now," Elliot frowned.</p>
<p>"Well maybe I can help with that. You remember those bruises I mentioned earlier?" Doctor Jones spoke up. They all nodded, wondering where he was going with this.</p>
<p>"They were made by a steel toed boot. The bruises are so deep that Jimmy was bleeding internally prior to the coup de gras," the coroner explained.</p>
<p>"Steel toed boots are usually used for construction sites and factory work. Our guy has a nine to five?" Elliot was a little confused.</p>
<p>"Well maybe someone was chucking the boots and he took them. Better than nothing once winter hits," Molly said. That's when Marie's phone rang. She moved away from the group and quickly answered it.</p>
<p>"He doesn't beat the crap out of the other victims before killing them. Why start with Jimmy?" Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"Maybe Jimmy said something or did something and this guy finally had enough. I mean he does seem a few fries short of a Happy Meal," Molly shrugged.</p>
<p>"That was the lab. Seems our guy goofed. He liked the envelope with the letter. They're running it now," Marie was excited after getting off the phone.</p>
<p>"The only way you're going to nail this guy is with a confession. With no physical evidence, he'll try to worm his way out of everything and if he has a good lawyer then he will worm his way out," Elliot frowned.</p>
<p>"Step at a time. We have to catch this bugger first," Molly said. Elliot's phone rang this time and he excused himself. When he answered it, he could immediately tell by Olivia's tone that things were not going well.</p>
<p>"How bad?" He asked.</p>
<p>"It's in her lymph nodes and both breasts. They said that if they don't act soon, there won't be anything they can do to stop it from spreading to her lungs or anywhere else," Olivia explained.</p>
<p>"Damn. So, what options does she have?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"For the lymph nodes, they're thinking chemo, but they aren't sure if that'll work for her breasts. They're suggesting surgery followed by chemo and radiation," she said. Elliot heaved a sigh. This was not the news they were hoping for.</p>
<p>"Should she get a second opinion?" he wondered.</p>
<p>"I already called the cancer department down at Sloan Kettering. They're telling me to bring her in as soon as possible," Olivia told him. Elliot wasn't sure how she managed to get someone at the prestigious hospital to answer her so quickly, but he didn't really care at the moment.</p>
<p>"Then go. Take their car and I'll make sure that I get back to talk to Clint and Calvin as soon as I can," he promised.</p>
<p>"Thanks El," with that the call was over.</p>
<p>"That wasn't good was it?" Marie asked.</p>
<p>"No, it wasn't. You guys know anyone who works in child custody cases around here? We need someone who knows the New York and Vermont rules," Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"Ok really not good. I've got a guy in social services who I can give a call to. He might have a lawyer he recommends," Molly said, quickly pulling out her phone.</p>
<p>"I appreciate it," he said.</p>
<p>"Is something wrong with Calvin?" Marie hadn't heard the whole conversation, but she did hear "damn" and "second opinion".</p>
<p>"No, it's his Grandma," Elliot admitted.</p>
<p>"Then damn was appropriate," Molly said as she waited for the social services guy to pick up the phone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Detective Stabler?" A tall lanky man asked from an oak interior doorway behind the receptionist's desk. It was a few hours later after the meeting with the coroner and Elliot sat in the waiting room of the law offices of Jacob Cervi, Molly's social services connection had come through. Luckily, the firm had been more than willing to hold a meeting after hours.</p>
<p>"Yes, sorry I'm a little early," Elliot said, standing up from his semi-comfortable chair. He was half an hour early and there were other clients in the waiting room.</p>
<p>"Matt Tidwell. No worries. You're my last client of the day. Now why don't we head back to my office and discuss what you've got going on?" The man wondered, shaking Elliot's hand firmly.</p>
<p>"Sounds good," Elliot smiled. He followed the man through the doorway and into a tastefully decorated hallway. The other doors were oak as well, a darker shade than the door he'd just walked through. White walls with gray trim board and a nice black, light gray, and dark gray carpet, that sometimes looked like it had a pattern and sometimes didn't.</p>
<p>"Army?" Matt asked as they entered his office.</p>
<p>"Marines," Elliot said, taking the offered seat in front of the oak desk, which was a lighter shade than the door, but complemented the door. The walls were a light shade of blue and the windows had tan cellular shades. The carpet matched the hallway, so it was all neat and tidy. The lawyer had pictures of children on his desk.</p>
<p>"Ah. I served in Iraq, JAG lawyer," Matt said, before sitting down in his black leather office chair.</p>
<p>"Desert Storm, the first one," Elliot smirked. They would get along just fine.</p>
<p>"And now the NYPD, well done. So, what brings you up to Albany? Molly wasn't overly specific," the lawyer admitted.</p>
<p>"Well, she didn't have all the details. I'm actually here for my partner, Detective Olivia Benson," Elliot admitted.</p>
<p>"She couldn't be here?" Matt was a tad confused and Elliot went onto explain, from the beginning. Well, the parts that he could anyway – the full investigation into Jimmy had to be glossed over.</p>
<p>"Good grief," Matt said about twenty minutes later.</p>
<p>"So, you can see why Liv would not want Calvin to go into the system," Elliot told him.</p>
<p>"I can completely understand. Luckily, Vermont has reciprocity with New York, so I can walk her through the whole thing. Regrettably, she needs to meet with me to go over all the specifics, as she will be my client," the lawyer explained.</p>
<p>"I completely understand. I just needed to engage you, given the current situation," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"Yes, I will take the case and I will work up some pricing options for my time. I cannot take this pro bono since we're dealing with two different states. You can't imagine the paperwork, but I can give her the discounted law enforcement rate," Matt told him.</p>
<p>"Of course. You can e-mail her at the address on the card or text or call the phone number," the detective handed over his partner's card.</p>
<p>"You two must be close for you to be doing all of this," the lawyer commented, studying the business card.</p>
<p>"We've been partners for over twelve years. Being close comes with the job. Especially the crimes we deal with," Elliot was nonchalant as he could be.</p>
<p>"SVU, I would imagine. We've both heard and seen some things that we can't unsee," Matt heaved a sigh.</p>
<p>"Family lawyer business gets ugly huh?" Elliot was inwardly cringing, knowing that this was on the horizon with his imploding marriage. Kathy had been oddly silent since he'd told her that he'd had to go out of town for a case. He hadn't heard anything from his lawyer either. It was making him nervous.</p>
<p>"It can. Kids being used as leverage, as if they're a piece of property. Kids being told to say things that aren't true. Then, of course, there are the ones that are telling the truth and you don't want to believe it's true," Matt heaved another sigh.</p>
<p>"Those are the hardest," Elliot nodded before standing from his seat.</p>
<p>"That they are. I'll contact Olivia and hopefully she has some good news about Ethel," the lawyer said, standing from his seat.</p>
<p>"I hope so because I'm heading over to check on Clint and Calvin. Thanks for your help," Elliot gave a slight smile and headed for the door.</p>
<p>"Of course," Matt smiled. Elliot headed back down the hallway and exited the building. He reached his car and quickly sent a text to his lawyer. Then he called Olivia, not surprised that he had to leave her a message.</p>
<p>Back in the city, Olivia was trying to absorb everything that the doctor was saying while they sat in his office. She knew that Ethel probably wasn't thinking straight. Words were flying around like surgery, chemotherapy, and experimental treatments.</p>
<p>"Look this is a lot to absorb. I know you've driven a long way and you were hoping for better news, but I believe this course of action gives you the best chance to overcome this," Doctor Theodore Blackburn said. The African American man was young, bright, and had been very empathetic. His bedside manner was something that most doctors would have loved to have and that comforted Olivia.</p>
<p>"I need to think," Ethel finally managed.</p>
<p>"Of course. I don't want to rush you but the sooner a decision is made the better. If it would be better for you, we might be able to work something out with your local hospital," Doctor Blackburn told her.</p>
<p>"Thank you so much for all your help today Doctor," Olivia smiled before standing from her seat across from the doctor and helped Ethel to her feet.</p>
<p>"Not a problem at all. Be careful on your way today. Do you have a hotel room?" The doctor didn't know that Olivia lived in the city.</p>
<p>"I live here. I was just visiting when this happened," she quickly explained.</p>
<p>"Very good. We'll talk soon. Take care," he smiled as he escorted them back to the elevators. The right down was silent. Ethel was exhausted and truth be told, so was Olivia. She pushed through it, like it was just another long night at the precinct, and they made their way to the car and then to Olivia's place.</p>
<p>Olivia offered to get some food on their way, but Ethel claimed she wasn't hungry. Truth was, neither was Olivia but she knew they needed to eat. There was no point in arguing and she got Ethel set up in her bedroom and made sure she was comfortable before heading for the couch. Olivia checked her phone and heaved a sigh. All calls could be returned in morning. Right now, she was calling for delivery.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning came but despite the sunshine, the day was not bright inside Olivia's apartment. Ethel had yet to get out of bed and Olivia wasn't about to bother her. Instead she stayed focused on answering the messages on her phone from her spot on the couch. She heard keys in her front door and her hand went for her gun, which was on the coffee table. There wasn't time for the element of surprise at the door so she made sure that she could see who it was before announcing herself. The door creaked open and in walked Munch and Fin. Olivia heaved a sigh and holstered her weapon.</p>
<p>"Liv! You're back?" Munch was obviously confused.</p>
<p>"For a little bit. Things have gone sideways," Olivia admitted and it was then that both detectives noted how tired she looked.</p>
<p>"Your neighbor next door, Sally Walden, called the precinct because she heard noises coming from the apartment. Knowing that you were going away, she wanted to be sure someone wasn't stealing your TV," Fin said. Sally had gotten the spare key after the incident where Elliot couldn't get into her apartment. Miss Walden was a little younger than Olivia but they had connected in the hallway over the way the mailman delivered the mail and the less than impressive times for the landlord's response to maintenance issues. Then Sally had invited her over a few times, just to hang out, after Calvin had left so they had grown into friends. Olivia had not explained the entire situation but Sally had not pressed either, figuring that the older woman would tell her if she needed to.</p>
<p>"Good thing Sally had the spare key. I can't really afford a new door right now," she smirked before indicating to them to take a seat in the chair or couch.</p>
<p>"You think I would break the door down? That's what I have Fin for," Munch chuckled as he sat down on the plush chair next to the couch.</p>
<p>"So what's going on? The Captain was a little upset that an update came from Albany PD and not you or Stabler," Fin said giving his partner a look before sitting down on the couch near Olivia.</p>
<p>"Well I'm not sure how much more we can help with the case. The guy we thought killed Vivian is dead and the guy who probably killed him is in the wind, far as I know," the brunette filled them in.</p>
<p>"Albany PD got a hit on the DNA and has put out a BOLO in the tristate area and Vermont," Munch told her.</p>
<p>"Excellent. That was not in my messages," Olivia wondered why Elliot hadn't filled her in.</p>
<p>"So what are you doing back without Stabler?" Fin pressed. Olivia heaved a sigh and quickly went into detail regarding Calvin's current custody situation and Ethel's need for medical care in the city. She didn't go into deep detail as that was not something she had permission to do. Not that she wanted to keep things from Fin or Munch but Ethel's health was her own business.</p>
<p>"Good grief," Fin said.</p>
<p>"Elliot was handling the case end and getting me a family custody lawyer," she told them.</p>
<p>"Well you keep us up to speed. If we can help, we will," Munch said.</p>
<p>"I appreciate it guys. How are things at the precinct?" Olivia asked.</p>
<p>"Caught our scumbag yesterday. With any luck, today is just a paperwork day," Fin said. Olivia heard movement from down the hall and she smiled at the guys before standing up.</p>
<p>"Sorry, I didn't realize we had company," Ethel said from the hallway. She'd just left the bathroom and was feeling like she'd made up her mind about where her life was heading.</p>
<p>"Not to worry. We were just checking in," Munch smiled at her.</p>
<p>"Ethel, this is…" Olivia started.</p>
<p>"Uncle Fin and Uncle Munch, I'm guessing," Ethel smirked.</p>
<p>"You're good," Fin said.</p>
<p>"Calvin said that Uncle Fin was cool and that Uncle Munch knew all about the truth. Though I admit that I have no idea what he meant by that last one," Ethel explained.</p>
<p>"The boy has good taste," Munch couldn't help but smile.</p>
<p>"What he means is that Munch is filling his head with conspiracy theories," Fin chuckled.</p>
<p>"Better than some of that stuff I've seen on the internet," the older lady said.</p>
<p>"Agreed. Well, we'll leave you to it. Liv, you want us to tell the Captain for you?" Munch asked.</p>
<p>"I'll call him, I promise. Thanks guys. Give Sally my best," Olivia said as she escorted them to the door.</p>
<p>"You got it," Fin smiled and they were out the door.</p>
<p>"Did you sleep well?" Olivia wondered as she turned to her guest. Ethel had sat down at the kitchen table.</p>
<p>"As well as can be expected, I suppose. The bed was fine but my head…" the sentence hung there.</p>
<p>"I understand. Do you want to try and call Clint? Maybe talk things over before you make any decisions?" Olivia asked as she took a seat next to her.</p>
<p>"There isn't much to discuss. If I do nothing, I die. If I try what the doctor is suggesting – surgery, chemo, maybe even that experimental treatment, I could live. No guarantees on how long but living is better than the alternative. My next concern is how we can afford it," the older woman said.</p>
<p>"I don't disagree. As far as financial things, the social worker promised to let me know how your plan translates. I think that's why Doctor Blackburn suggested treatments back in Vermont. They could direct the facilities there on care while you would be better covered by your insurance and also be at home. The experimental treatment probably won't be covered at all but in the packet that he gave me, some people are allowed to have their treatments covered as part of the trial," Olivia explained. She rose from her seat and started the coffee machine.</p>
<p>"There is no way I can thank you for this," Ethel said.</p>
<p>"You just worry about you and let me worry about the other stuff," the detective winked. That's when her phone rang and she quickly fetched it off the coffee table and answered it. As she was heading for the kitchen, Ethel could see her reaction and wondered what was going on and who she was talking to. It wasn't long and then she was off the phone.</p>
<p>"Everything ok?" The older woman wanted to know.</p>
<p>"That was Elliot. Albany PD has our suspect cornered and he's heading over to help them out," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Isn't that a good thing? Once they catch him, then Clint and Calvin can go home," Ethel was confused.</p>
<p>"Yes, that is true. But it's too quick, too easy…" Olivia trailed off.</p>
<p>"You think that Elliot and the police in Albany are walking into something?" The older woman wondered.</p>
<p>"I'm almost certain of it," Olivia frowned.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was far from an ideal situation. Yes, they had the possible killer, Terrance Ogletree, surrounded but it was inside a convenience store, on a street corner, not far from the drug house. He'd taken hostages. Given his predilection for murder, there was no way to guarantee that he wouldn't kill those poor people stuck in the store.</p>
<p>Terrance entered the store and went toward the ATM. The ATM was at the end of the counter, deep inside the store but in a location where the store clerk could keep an eye on it. Albert Poe was cashing out when suddenly the man shouted at the machine, pulled out a gun, and put a bullet into the ceiling. Albert quickly rushed outside as Terrance was turning around, so the hostage taker missed his opportunity to hold him inside the store. There were at least two other unlucky people in the store – the clerk and a lady near the back debating her ice cream choices. Albert whipped out his cell phone after ducking for cover on the steps of the office building next door. He called the police, saying that the hostage taker looked like the guy from the news, and he stayed on the phone with the dispatcher until the first officers arrived. He told them everything he knew, including that the hostage taker had a handgun.</p>
<p>By the time the detectives arrived, the officers had the store cordoned off. The street corner was closed and everyone had taken up defensive positions behind their police cars, parked out in front of the store. Albert was introduced to Marie, Molly, and Elliot and quickly recounted his story. Elliot pulled out his service weapon, asking the witness if the gun looked like his. Albert told him that he didn't get a real good look but the shape seemed to be the same. That confirmed for them that their killer was probably using the nine-millimeter weapon that killed Jeff, one of the addicts from the drug house, and Jimmy.</p>
<p>"We've got the store surrounded Terrance! Come out with your hands up and no one needs to get hurt!" Detective Gavronski announced through the bullhorn from her spot behind her unmarked police car. Hostage negotiators were en-route but until then Marie was in charge.</p>
<p>"I'm guessing he's not coming out," Elliot said to Detective Shea after a few minutes of waiting.</p>
<p>"Once the negotiators get here, we can get him a phone and hopefully he'll talk to us," Molly said.</p>
<p>"How much longer until they get here?" He wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Five minutes," Molly told him.</p>
<p>"Not sure those hostages have five minutes," Elliot frowned.</p>
<p>"SWAT is attempting to get eyes in the store," Molly said, pointing to the officers heading around the building to the back door. They were hoping that they could get a camera under the door to see what they could actually see. Regrettably, they radioed that the back door was locked and just led into the store room. They could not see into the actual part of the store where Terrance was holding the two people. With the bulk of the front glass windows covered in advertisements, which would have been good cover, Albert warned them that there was a chime on the door. They had no way into the store without alerting Terrance that they were coming and that was a sure way to get people killed.</p>
<p>"Can you use the bullet hole in the roof to get a camera in there?" Molly radioed back to them.</p>
<p>"If there is one, sure. Not sure that he wouldn't hear us on the roof though," the SWAT Sergeant Kemp radioed back.</p>
<p>"Yeah can't take the chance of that unless you guys have a drone that could see if there actually is a hole in the roof from that single shot," Elliot suggested. Molly radioed the suggestion and the SWAT Sergeant said that they would see what they could do. One of the officers went into the office building next door. He found a window and cracked it open so he could sit on the window ledge. The SWAT team sent a drone up and did indeed notice something on the roof. They got the drone close to see if it was something they could use for their snake camera.</p>
<p>"The negotiators are here," Marie spoke up, pointing to the police van pulling up to their location.</p>
<p>"Finally," Molly said. Quickly, they were brought up to speed and Captain Russell Butler told his officers to pull out the robot. He gratefully took the bullhorn from Marie and made his own announcement.</p>
<p>"Terrance! My name is Russell! I'm going to send in a phone with this robot so we can talk!" The Captain let the hostage taker know. A burner phone was attached to the robot and an officer used the control pad to get the robot to the door of the store. What happened next did little to instill confidence in the police officers.</p>
<p>Shots rang out, breaking the glass on the front door and slamming into the robot and the phone. The phone exploded into small bits of debris and everyone ducked for cover behind the police vehicles. Elliot tried to count the number of shots he'd heard, hoping to determine if Terrance was running out of ammunition.</p>
<p>"Too bad we don't know if he as extra rounds," Molly said. She was sitting on her backside behind tire of the unmarked car. Elliot was next to her and Marie had dove behind the car next to them off to the left.</p>
<p>"Might not need them. SWAT used the distraction to drop onto the roof," Marie pointed out. She'd looked through the gap in between the two car engines and could see the officer carefully stepping on the roof.</p>
<p>"Well I don't think he wants to talk. I'm pulling the robot back," Captain Butler told them.</p>
<p>"Try the bullhorn again. We want him distracted while SWAT sees what they can do," Molly said. The Captain looked like he wasn't sure if that was such a good idea but then he went ahead and tried it anyway.</p>
<p>"Terrance! That wasn't very nice! We just want to talk! We want everyone to walk out of there alive!" Russell tried. A single shot rang out, busting out the last of the glass in the front of the store.</p>
<p>"Well we tried. Let's hope SWAT has better ideas. Anyone who gets close to the front of the door is going to get themselves shot," Russell hated to admit defeat but he'd never had anyone not at least take the phone they offered.</p>
<p>"I have a terrible idea," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"That's probably not the best way to start a conversation," Molly gave him a look.</p>
<p>"What if I told him I had Olivia head back to New York to talk to the papers?" The NYPD detective suggested.</p>
<p>"You thinking that'll buy SWAT some time to get something going?" Marie raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Well he might be more willing to talk to me or "her", rather than you guys. Don't forget this guy wants attention. He wants everyone to know what he's done. What better way than to tell him that Olivia is back in New York talking to the New York Times? I mean that would make it national news," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"And what if he shoots you as you approach the store? You know he's going to ask to talk to her and you won't actually have her on the phone," Russell said.</p>
<p>"Let's just see what happens when I get on the bullhorn. That might be enough to distract him for SWAT to figure out a way in," Stabler suggested. Russell shook his head but handed over the bullhorn.</p>
<p>"Terrance! This is Detective Stabler! I work with Detective Benson!" No shots yet so Elliot continued,</p>
<p>"She has a contact at the New York Times and she went to talk to him! See we figured that you might have flown the coop, so she wanted your picture to go out nationwide! Her next stop is CNN!" Suddenly, a woman appeared at the door and Marie ordered everyone to hold their fire. Molly looked closely through some binoculars, noticing that there was a large hand on the woman's shoulder. Terrance was hiding behind her, probably pointing the gun into her back.</p>
<p>"The New York Times?!" Terrance shouted back.</p>
<p>"Can you think of a better way than to reach people?! Between their website and their paper circulation, that's the big time!" Elliot announced.</p>
<p>"I want to speak to Detective Benson! She has to get it right!" Terrance shouted back.</p>
<p>"Well until you let go of the hostages, I can't do that! It's going to take some time to get the details right and those poor folks just want to go home to their families!" Stabler tried. His eyes noticed that the SWAT officer was no longer on the roof and he wondered where the man went.</p>
<p>"I can't do that! You'll shoot me!" Terrance refused.</p>
<p>"Why don't we meet halfway?! You let the store clerk go and I'll come out from behind the police cars!" Elliot was glad he was wearing his bulletproof vest. Terrance didn't say anything at first but then he moved the woman in front of him off to the side and the store clerk appeared in the doorway.</p>
<p>"Nice and slow, I want you to head for the nearest police car!" Elliot announced to him. The man moved carefully and as slowly as he dared before officers took him into custody. Then Elliot put down the bullhorn and moved away from the police cars. He got to about twenty feet from the door when Terrance yelled,</p>
<p>"Stop!" Elliot froze.</p>
<p>"Kind of hard for Olivia to hear you from over there," the detective told him.</p>
<p>"Don't come any closer. Toss me the phone," Terrance tried.</p>
<p>"No can do. That's department issue. My boss will have my ass in a sling if something happens to it. Why don't you let the nice lady go and take me? Then I can make sure that Olivia gets all the important details," Elliot tried. It looked like Terrance was seriously considering it when he suddenly started to convulse. The woman in front of him ran, she didn't care where, she just ran toward the other police cars. That's when Elliot saw the SWAT team. They'd silently jimmied the back door and snuck up on Terrance to tase him. Quickly, they secured him.</p>
<p>"That took some balls," Sergeant Kemp said.</p>
<p>"Well do me a favor and don't tell my partner," Elliot smirked. The SWAT officer chuckled and they called for medics to check out their perp.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"It's good to hear your voice. I was concerned you were walking into a trap," Olivia said to her partner. Elliot had called with what she assumed was an update. She was in the hospital waiting room while Ethel was getting set up in her hospital room. The social worker had discovered that hospital would be able to treat the older woman surgically in New York and have it covered by insurance. Chemotherapy could be done back in Vermont so Doctor Blackburn decided they would use an opening in a surgical suite the next day to perform the operation. Neither Olivia nor Ethel wanted to ask why there was a sudden opening at one of the hospital's surgical suites. There could be a perfectly good reason, like a patient's doctors decided to try a different treatment first, but the other options were that a patient was no longer seeking treatment or because they were dead.</p>
<p>"Well, we're not exactly out of the woods. Terrance here wants you to share his story with your contact at the Times," Elliot said. He was standing outside the interrogation room back the precinct which Marie and Molly called home.</p>
<p>"Oh, he does?" Olivia didn't have a contact at the New York Times so she knew he must be trying to appease the perp. She silently hoped that the detectives at the Albany PD were recording the conversation that was about to happen.</p>
<p>"I'm going to put you on speaker phone," he told her as he moved into the interrogation room. Olivia heaved a sigh, making sure she held the phone away from her mouth, so the perp couldn't hear.</p>
<p>"Detective Benson, I want you to tell your contact the truth," Terrance said after the phone was placed onto the table. Terrance was chained to the table and Marie sat across from him while Molly stayed outside the room, watching through the one-way glass.</p>
<p>"Of course, that's what we're trying to do. Now why don't we start with how you got involved with Jimmy?" The detective asked.</p>
<p>"Jimmy and I knew each other from high school. We lost touch for a few years but then ended up catching up one day at a local convenience store. He was selling product out front. We started hanging out again and then things eventually ended up with working together," Terrance explained.</p>
<p>"By product, you mean…" she trailed off.</p>
<p>"Coke," he said.</p>
<p>"Ok and what led you to start killing your customers?" Olivia wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Jimmy used to have a spine. When people didn't pay up or do what was asked of them, he'd give them a short leash – a couple more times to prove themselves or pay up. Once he got tired of them and their lack of cooperation, then he'd take care of business. After a while of using his own stock though, he started losing it," The man was awfully casual about murdering people.</p>
<p>"So why try and go after Vivian's family?" She pressed.</p>
<p>"His paranoia had finally gone over the top. He thought that her kid could somehow turn us in. Fact of the matter was, we couldn't prove that the kid knew anything but as long as we threatened the kid, Vivian would do what we asked," he told them.</p>
<p>"That seems like a pretty sweet deal for you. Why did Vivian end up dead?" Olivia was partially dreading the answer.</p>
<p>"That is a little less clear but like I said, Jimmy's paranoia had really started to get the best of him. Vivian had just gotten him off in exchange for some product when Jimmy tells me that he gets the bright idea to give her a hot shot," Terrance told her.</p>
<p>"He killed her after she did what he asked?" That seemed odd to the detective, but then again paranoid people don't always make sense.</p>
<p>"Jimmy's arm was bothering him, and he thought that Vivian did something to him a few days prior when he was busy banging her," again the perp was cool as a cucumber.</p>
<p>"He waited a few days for his revenge?" Olivia wondered.</p>
<p>"I think he was busy debating what to do. Once he explained that he'd killed her, he told me that he wanted me to cut her ear off. He said he wanted to send the ear to the kid. Figured that would ensure he'd stay quiet. It was only later that I found out he didn't send the ear to the kid. He sent it to you," Terrance said.</p>
<p>"Why did he do that? Even paranoid people don't want us involved," she pressed.</p>
<p>"I honestly didn't let him explain. Once I found out, I shot him. His stupidity was going to get me killed," he said it just like he was using the drive thru at the burger joint down the street.</p>
<p>"Back up a second there Terrance. The coroner said the break in his arm was old and that it had healed improperly. How could what Vivian did mess up his arm?" Elliot stepped in.</p>
<p>"Jimmy had some… shall we say… "strange ideas" when it came to sex. Pain was something he liked because the coke would always let him push the limits with his pain. Well until it wore off and then he'd need something to kill the pain. I honestly don't know why the guys he bought the drugs from never came to find us. I can't imagine we were making enough payments given his usage," the man answered.</p>
<p>"Do you know who he got his drugs from?" Marie butted in.</p>
<p>"No. I never asked though I suppose they'll be pissed to find out I basically killed their business in this part of town," Terrance didn't seem bothered by the fact that drug dealers could be coming after him. Elliot was wondering if they could get Huang to talk to this guy and clinically diagnose him.</p>
<p>"So, you went out and shot out the streetlights near Vivian's family's house? Where does that fit in?" Olivia tried to get the conversation back on track.</p>
<p>"Almost forgot about that. Jimmy said he wanted to go out and make sure the kid got the package. When we got out there, he told me to shoot out the streetlights. That was the paranoia talking again. He thought if we shot out the streetlights then the cops wouldn't get a good description of our car from the neighbors," Terrance said.</p>
<p>"So, you do that, and then later Jimmy admits that he never sent the ear to Vermont?" Olivia pressed.</p>
<p>"I honestly don't think he meant to tell me that. He was busy getting high and I was trying to make sure our customers were getting their fix. Someone commented on the smell in the house, Vivian was busy rotting off on the second floor. Jimmy opens his mouth and says that he whacked her as an example to everyone there and to the cops. He wanted everyone to know that he was in control, despite the fact that basically I'd been running the business for quite some time. After I handled the customers, I handled Jimmy," Terrance told them.</p>
<p>"Then we get to today. You were caught trying to use someone's ATM card and somehow that morphed into taking hostages," Benson said.</p>
<p>"Seems one of my customers left his ATM card behind when I was busy giving him his coke. I figured I could maybe get myself some money before I made my next move. Guess I was too greedy and too impatient," he just shrugged.</p>
<p>"You had money from the drug sales, why didn't you just take that?" Marie interjected.</p>
<p>"I sold the last of our stock and only had five hundred dollars. Can't set up shop somewhere else with only that," another shrug.</p>
<p>"I thought you wanted the attention," Elliot spoke up.</p>
<p>"I didn't think you'd be able to find me," Terrance admitted.</p>
<p>"You licked the envelope genius. Your DNA was taken when you got arrested back five years ago for that possession charge," Marie shook her head. At that point, it was the first time that their perp showed his façade cracking.</p>
<p>"I think we have enough. Elliot, can I talk to you?" Olivia asked. Her partner quickly scooped the phone up off the table, took it off speaker phone, and walked out of the interrogation room, letting Marie and Molly handle Terrance.</p>
<p>"What is it?" He asked.</p>
<p>"Ethel is going in for surgery tomorrow. Can you bring Clint and Calvin up here? I think that she'd like them to be here," Olivia told him.</p>
<p>"I'll check in with the Chief and see what I can do. What time is the operation?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Eleven am. I'm going to stay with her until visiting hours are over tonight," she explained.</p>
<p>"Ok, I'll see what I can do. You get some sleep, ok?" He was worried she wasn't taking care of herself.</p>
<p>"I will. I promise. Give Calvin my love," she said to him.</p>
<p>"Of course," Elliot promised.</p>
<p>"And you take some of my love too," Olivia smiled despite the fact he couldn't see it.</p>
<p>"Same to you," Elliot smiled as he hung up. That smile didn't last long as his phone received a text message. He looked at it and frowned. It was from his divorce lawyer and all it said was "Call me".</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was ten am and Olivia was concerned that Elliot, Clint, and Calvin weren't going to make it to the hospital before Ethel was wheeled back to surgery. The two ladies were sitting in the pre-prep room. Ethel had been given a blanket to stay warm as the only items of clothing she was wearing was the hospital gown and her socks.</p>
<p>Doctor Blackburn promised they could wait for ten more minutes but then they had to go and prep the elder woman. Ethel seemed calm and Olivia wondered just how she could be that way given what was about to happen. Perhaps she was more like a duck, calm on the top but under the water, the feet were moving a mile a minute.</p>
<p>"We made it!" Calvin came rushing into the room and hugged his grandmother.</p>
<p>"I'm glad you did," Ethel smiled for the first time in a long time.</p>
<p>"Let me cut in there, kiddo," Clint said. Calvin backed off and Olivia and Elliot took him out into the hall so the married couple could have a minute to themselves.</p>
<p>"It's bad isn't it?" Calvin asked.</p>
<p>"It's not good but the doctors here and the doctors back in Vermont have a plan. Your grandma is a tough lady and she's going to fight this the whole way," Olivia didn't see any point in sugarcoating it, given what the poor boy had been through already.</p>
<p>"How long will we be here?" Calvin wanted to know.</p>
<p>"After her successful surgery, she'll need a day or two in the hospital. Then it's off to Vermont. I'll be joining you for a little while," she explained.</p>
<p>"You will?" Calvin was surprised. She had a life here and as much as he wanted to be a part of it, he wasn't sure that was in the cards.</p>
<p>"Yes, I…" Olivia didn't get to finish as a nurse approached them with a wheelchair.</p>
<p>"Detective Benson, we must get a move on for Ethel's surgery," she said, a smile on her face. Olivia nodded and let the nurse knock on the door. Clint opened the door and the nurse headed inside. A couple of minutes later, Ethel was wheeled out of the room.</p>
<p>"You guys can wait down in the waiting room. We'll be a few hours," the nurse smiled again.</p>
<p>"Good luck Grandma," Calvin said.</p>
<p>"I'll see you soon," she promised as the nurse wheeled her away. They all shifted down to the waiting room and found some seats. Elliot plopped down to the right of his partner, thoroughly exhausted. Calvin was on Olivia's left and Clint was next to him.</p>
<p>"When did you guys leave Vermont?" Olivia asked.</p>
<p>"Five am. I figured we should work in some traffic time as we neared the city," he said.</p>
<p>"Ugly out there?" She wondered.</p>
<p>"Got very close to hitting the morning commute traffic coming down through a few places. Pretty sure if I hadn't used the lights and sirens, we would have been even later," he admitted.</p>
<p>"I bet Calvin got a kick out of that," Olivia chuckled.</p>
<p>"Yeah, he did," Elliot smirked.</p>
<p>"So, I caught you two red-handed," a familiar voice pulled their attention toward the voice to Olivia's left.</p>
<p>"Captain!" They were both surprised and bolted out of their chairs.</p>
<p>"At ease you two," he said, indicating that they should sit back down.</p>
<p>"Uncle Don!" Calvin smiled and turned his attention away from the waiting room television.</p>
<p>"Hey kiddo. I'm going to borrow these two for a couple of minutes. That cool?" He asked.</p>
<p>"Of course. Good to see you," Calvin smiled. He scooted to the other side of his Grandpa and Captain Cragen grabbed his chair and pulled it in front of his detectives.</p>
<p>"All right so how long should I be waiting for your fives on your trip?" Cragen wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Ethel will be in the hospital for a couple of days, so I'll type mine up but then I'm putting in for some vacation time," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"I kind of figured you would be. What's the plan?" Don asked.</p>
<p>"Well, I have to first get the custody agreement in place and then the plan is to bring Calvin back here with me. Clint and Ethel think it would be good for him to get therapy here and it would allow the two of them to focus on Ethel's health. We'd go for visits and stay in touch via phone calls until such time that they think they can take Calvin back full time," she explained, keeping her tone low.</p>
<p>"You're going to need a bigger apartment," the Captain said.</p>
<p>"Well, I'm starting with a pull-out couch. Then yes, a bigger place will be in order," Olivia nodded.</p>
<p>"And what is your plan?" Don turned to Elliot. He didn't know that the man had yet to update his partner about what had been going on while she was with Ethel.</p>
<p>"I'm due in court the day after tomorrow. Seems that Kathy is serious about limiting my exposure to Eli. There are a few other demands too," Elliot huffed.</p>
<p>"I kind of figured. I was subpoenaed today," the Captain let that drop.</p>
<p>"For a custody hearing?" Olivia was thoroughly confused. It was not a typical thing to involve bosses in custody hearings unless they had specifically seen something occur between the parent and the child.</p>
<p>"Oh, just wait. They're claiming that Elliot's negligence starts with his partner helping to deliver Eli on the way to the hospital," Cragen said.</p>
<p>"What? I've helped out before and no one seemed to mind. Besides, if that drunk driver hadn't hit us, I wouldn't have delivered Eli," Olivia couldn't believe it.</p>
<p>"Well, my guess is that Kathy will make the argument that Elliot didn't have to go up to North Forks. Or she'll complain that Elliot didn't beat the shop mechanics into submission for not having her car ready. I have no idea, but I don't see this being a good thing," Don was pointed about it.</p>
<p>"Neither do I. I really didn't think things would get this ugly," Elliot admitted.</p>
<p>"Could she be trying to use El's record on the force against him?" Olivia wondered.</p>
<p>"I don't see how. He never brought his work home with him and didn't beat Kathy or the kids," Cragen shrugged.</p>
<p>"She'll use you to impeach my character in some way or something. I just don't know why she'd fight for custody and for the other marital assets like this," Elliot heaved a sigh.</p>
<p>"New York is a fifty/fifty state. There must be something else she wants that you aren't giving her. Think Stabler. I don't want to set a precedent by showing up in court," Don gave him a look.</p>
<p>"I'll do what I can, promise Cap," Elliot nodded.</p>
<p>"Good. Then I don't want to see either of you until after the hearing. Get everything you need to squared away. Liv let me know how much time off you want. You have almost six months' worth logged away," Cragen told her.</p>
<p>"Will do Cap," she smiled.</p>
<p>"Let me know how today goes," the Captain smiled before putting the chair back. Olivia turned to Elliot as Calvin hugged their senior officer.</p>
<p>"We've got some work to do," she told him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ethel's surgery was successful, and Doctor Blackburn was pleased with how things went. The group stayed with Ethel until visiting hours were over and then they headed out. Calvin was riding with Olivia while Elliot and Clint went to get them some food. The plan was to meet back up at Elliot's apartment.</p>
<p>"I need to talk to you Calvin," Olivia said as she kept her eye on the road.</p>
<p>"What about?" He asked from the passenger seat. He was looking out the window, trying to see if he noticed anything familiar.</p>
<p>"About you and your grandparents," she told him.</p>
<p>"Grandma is going to be fine. I know it," his confidence was a front but neither one of them wanted to think about the alternative train of thought.</p>
<p>"She is but in order for that to happen, she wants you to be fine," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Calvin was confused and turned his head to look at her.</p>
<p>"You remember how I had some trouble a little while ago?" She wondered. Jenna's death had made the local news, but Calvin had not heard about it. One day, while they were talking on the phone, he seemed to sense something was wrong and she'd only explained that she was dealing with some things and seeing a doctor.</p>
<p>"When you were seeing that doctor?" He asked.</p>
<p>"Yes, back then. I've been talking with your grandparents and they think you should see someone too. Like I did," Olivia told him as they stopped at the red light.</p>
<p>"They think there is something wrong with me?" Calvin was concerned.</p>
<p>"No. They want to make sure that you talk about everything. This has been a lot to deal with lately and they're concerned for your well-being. Sometimes when bad things happen, you need someone to talk to," she explained.</p>
<p>"I can talk to you," he said, not seeing that as a problem.</p>
<p>"Yes, yes you can. You can always talk to me about anything but sometimes you need someone who hasn't been through it all. Someone who is on the outside looking in so you can get a different view on things," Olivia told him before stepping on the gas. They were almost to Elliot's apartment.</p>
<p>"Oh," his face fell, and he turned his gaze to his lap.</p>
<p>"There is no shame in speaking to someone about things. It really helped me, and I think it will really help you. Besides, as an added bonus, you get to stay here with me," the detective hoped that would cheer him up.</p>
<p>"I would? Don't Grandma and Grandpa need me?" Calvin was immediately concerned and looked back up at her.</p>
<p>"That's part of the reason I'm going back to Vermont with you. We're going to get some of your stuff and we're going to get your Grandma all settled into her new schedule and we're going to go to court," she said.</p>
<p>"Court?" Now he was really concerned.</p>
<p>"Yes. While you stay here with me, I need to be made your legal guardian. That way I can help make medical decisions, add you to my insurance, and get you set up at school," Olivia told him as she pulled the car in front of Elliot's building. She turned off the ignition and then turned in her seat to look at him.</p>
<p>"This is in case something bad happens to Grandma isn't it?" He was a smart kid. She took his hands in hers and gave them a squeeze.</p>
<p>"In a way yes, but the real reason is that you always have someone to fall back on. Whether you're here with me or you're back in Vermont with your grandparents, you'll have family. You will never be alone Calvin. This is a way to make sure that you aren't," Olivia held her breath, unsure how he was going to take this. More to pile on his shoulders but he deserved the honesty. Calvin seemed to be processing it all.</p>
<p>"So, I would still get to see Grandma and Grandpa, right?" He wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Of course. I have a lot of vacation saved up. We can go on long weekends for visits and you can call them. We'll get you your own cell phone," she promised. More nodding on Calvin's part.</p>
<p>"It's a lot, I know, but all three of us only want what is best for you. We want to take care of you, and this is the best way we know how," Olivia said. Calvin pulled his hands away from her and then held out his arms. Olivia pulled him as much as she could into her arms.</p>
<p>"I love you," he told her.</p>
<p>"I love you too, so so much" she said. They pulled apart and Calvin had a small smile on his face.</p>
<p>"You want to go upstairs? Elliot and your Grandpa just pulled up a few cars back," Olivia let him know.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'm getting hungry. Where am I sleeping tonight?" Calvin suddenly realized that they'd discussed everything but that.</p>
<p>"Elliot has graciously agreed to have you and your Grandpa sleep at his place. He has two bedrooms so you guys can share his spare room," she explained.</p>
<p>"I thought he was married and had a house in Queens. Why are we here?" He was confused.</p>
<p>"He's getting a divorce, so he had to get an apartment of his own. I forgot to mention it with everything else going on," Olivia admitted as she saw Elliot and Clint coming up to the car; Elliot was carrying a couple of pizzas while Clint had a couple of bags with soft drinks in them.</p>
<p>"I'll have to tell him I'm sorry to hear it," Calvin said.</p>
<p>"He'd appreciate it. Come on, let's go," Olivia smiled. They climbed out of the car and Calvin offered to carry the drinks. Clint handed them over before taking the pizza from Elliot. The detective opened the front door and then tossed Olivia the car keys so she could get their suitcases from the car. Elliot held the door open for Calvin and Clint telling them to head to the elevator and he'd be right back.</p>
<p>Joining Olivia out at the car, the two quickly grabbed the two small suitcases and headed back for the front door. A few minutes later, everyone was in the elevator. The ride was in comfortable silence and they exited on the third floor. Elliot reached his door and quickly unlocked it, letting everyone inside.</p>
<p>They ate dinner and chatted; everyone realizing how hungry they were for real food. The hospital food hadn't been too bad, but it wasn't authentic New York food. After dinner, Clint asked if he could take a shower and Elliot showed him the bathroom. Olivia took Calvin down the hall to the first door on the right. When they entered the spare room, she headed for the closet and pulled out the air mattress, which would be Calvin's for the next couple of nights on the floor. Clint would get the bed.</p>
<p>"I'll be ready to sleep in a real bed soon," the young teenager admitted as they inflated the mattress.</p>
<p>"Well, when you are all settled at my place, you'll have my bed. I'm working on getting us a new place so we both can have real beds," she promised.</p>
<p>"All that trouble for me?" Calvin felt bad as he went for a spare pillow in the closet.</p>
<p>"I've been outgrowing that apartment anyway. I need new furniture too so this will be a perfect chance for an upgrade," Olivia winked at him.</p>
<p>"All good in here?" Elliot poked his head into the room.</p>
<p>"Should be. Thanks so much Elliot," Calvin said.</p>
<p>"Of course, kiddo," the detective smiled as he moved into the room.</p>
<p>"Can I watch some TV?" the young teenager asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah. The remote is on the arm of the couch. I need to borrow Olivia anyway," Elliot smiled.</p>
<p>"Thanks," Calvin left the room and headed back into the living room.</p>
<p>"So, how'd it go?" Elliot wanted to know, pulling her into his arms.</p>
<p>"As well as could be expected. It's a lot to absorb but he's a tough kid," she said, putting her arms around his neck.</p>
<p>"Yeah, he is. I wish I could go with you to Vermont," he admitted.</p>
<p>"And I wish I could be there for you in court but we're going to have to do some things on our own for a bit," Olivia frowned.</p>
<p>"Well, you help me figure out what Kathy is after and I can take it from there," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"I didn't want to say anything earlier, but I have some ideas, none of them particularly good," she admitted.</p>
<p>"My lawyer e-mailed me a list of her demands. Maybe that'll help," he told her.</p>
<p>"Best place to start," Olivia nodded. They separated and headed back out into the living room. Elliot grabbed his laptop and headed for the kitchen table. Clint was coming down the hall, feeling a little better after his shower.</p>
<p>"You got the game on Calvin?" His Grandpa asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Rangers aren't doing so well," Calvin frowned.</p>
<p>"That's cause we aren't watching together," Clint chuckled before sitting down in the recliner. Elliot smiled as his laptop finished booting up. He quickly got into his e-mail and saved the list into a PDF.</p>
<p>"What have we got?" Olivia asked, sitting next to him.</p>
<p>"I'm confused," he said. His partner gave him a look and turned the laptop so she could see the list.</p>
<p>"She wants to sell the house? Do you think the kids know?" Olivia wondered. Elliot whipped out his cell phone from his pocket and texted Kathleen if she had a few minutes. When she responded that she was already on her way over to his apartment, he was surprised. He told her that Calvin, Clint, and Olivia were over, just so she knew.</p>
<p>"Kathleen is five minutes out," Elliot told Olivia.</p>
<p>"She was just coming over? She say why?" She was as surprised as her partner had been.</p>
<p>"No, but I'm guessing she found something out that she didn't want to talk over the phone about it," he shrugged. They both looked at the rest of the list – it included full custody of Eli, selling the house (splitting the profits), divvying up the furniture and other items in the house, and Kathy wanted the car.</p>
<p>"El, you notice what is missing off this list," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Where are Dick and Liz going to live if the house is gone? I mean they haven't graduated high school yet," he said. That was a concern, but his partner was about to point out the bigger item when the buzzer rang. Elliot got up, went to the wall near the front door, and poked the button.</p>
<p>"Dad, it's me," it was Kathleen.</p>
<p>"Come on up," he buzzed her into the front door and then unlocked the front door of the apartment. Olivia was trying to figure out the wording to tell her partner what she was trying to say when Kathleen came into the apartment. She locked the door before shrugging off her jacket and purse.</p>
<p>"Calvin, Clint, this is my daughter, Kathleen," Elliot made a quick introduction.</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you," Calvin left his spot on the couch and walked up to her with a smile.</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you," the blonde woman smiled.</p>
<p>"It's nice to meet you," Clint said, approaching her, finally able to get out of the comfy recliner.</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you. You guys don't mind if I steal my Dad for a bit, do you?" Kathleen asked.</p>
<p>"No, go for it. He's seen enough of us today," Clint winked and the two headed back to the hockey game. Kathleen turned to her Dad and Olivia, pulling a folded piece of paper out of her pocket.</p>
<p>"The list?" She indicated by pointing her chin up, "Mom gave me a copy in case there was something in the house I wanted. Mo got a copy too."</p>
<p>"Yes, the list. Did you know she wants to sell the house?" Elliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"The house is a house. It hasn't really been a home for a while," his daughter didn't seem all that busted up about it. Of course, she had her own apartment with a couple of roommates and Maureen had her own place too.</p>
<p>"You noticed it too, didn't you?" Olivia asked.</p>
<p>"The fact that she's not asking for child support for Eli? Oh yeah and I think I know why," Kathleen said. The look on Elliot's face said it all – he couldn't believe it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elliot was lying in bed staring up at the ceiling. His brain was trying to frame everything that Kathleen had explained earlier but he just couldn't. That's when he heard the bedroom door open and he looked toward the figure that'd entered the room.</p>
<p>"Calvin practically fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow," Olivia smiled slightly.</p>
<p>"Well at least he'll be getting some sleep tonight," Elliot heaved a sigh and let his head drop back to the pillow. His partner turned off the ceiling light, leaving only Elliot's bedside light on, and moved to the empty side of the bed. Pulling back the covers, Olivia slipped in, and moved as close to her partner as possible. Elliot put his big strong arm around her, pulling her onto her side, so that her head was on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and breathed in the scent of her shampoo.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry El," she said, putting her hand on his chest. Elliot rolled over so that they were facing each other, his left hand rubbed small circles on her back, his reach limited because his arm was still under his partner. Olivia could tell that he didn't want to break the moment but eventually he'd probably lose circulation in that arm.</p>
<p>"What are you sorry for?" He asked.</p>
<p>"That you have to go through all of this. That the kids have to go through all of this," she sighed. He stopped rubbing circles and used his arm to pull her on top of him as he rolled onto his back.</p>
<p>"We'll get this all figured out. It won't be easy, but we'll do it," he seemed to be fairly confident, but Olivia wondered if it was just a front for her. She'd be going away to join Calvin and his grandparents in Vermont in just a few days.</p>
<p>"Let's run it all down. I'm not sure what we found tonight would involve the Captain," she said.</p>
<p>"That's how you want to spend our night together?" Elliot asked.</p>
<p>"You weren't going to sleep anyway," Olivia smirked. He chuckled as she rolled off of him and made herself comfortable, her elbow on the pillow, resting her head in her hand. Elliot faced her and slid his hand under his pillow.</p>
<p>"You have a point. Not sure how selling the house, divvying up the furniture, and who gets the car would really involve the Captain. In fact, I'm not seeing how he'd even factor into the custody of Eli, given what Kathleen figured out," he frowned. Kathleen's big reveal had been that despite her mother's best attempts to hide that she'd moved on from Elliot, prior to the reconciliation and Eli's birth, the evidence had been there. While her parents were technically divorced, Kathy would be "out with friends" a few nights a week. This wasn't entirely a bad thing, but it was when one of those friends that Kathy was supposedly out with called the house looking for her. Liz had been the one to answer the phone and had no idea what to do or say and had quickly texted Kathleen. The elder Stabler daughter had quickly forgotten the incident when she caught her father at home in the middle of the night not long after. Not long after that, the Stablers were back together as a family.</p>
<p>The bigger issue came up not long after that when Liz had once again answered the home phone and there was a man on the other end asking for her mother. Liz had called her mother to the phone and Kathy subsequently had an argument with the man. Elliot was at work and had missed the entire exchange. Liz had quickly told her other siblings. None of them mentioned it to their father.</p>
<p>"I think the first thing I need to do is ask for a paternity test and question the fact that Kathy is not asking for child support. I love Eli as my own and that will never change but I need to understand why she would try to drag the Captain into all of this. I mean technically we were divorced when he was conceived so if Eli is mine, I've been taking responsibility. We got back together, and I've been trying to be there for him as much as I can, until Kathy decided she'd had enough for the second time," Elliot said.</p>
<p>"Is there a back door way to get the test? If it goes on the record, then it could be discoverable by Eli when he gets older. If you want to be in his life, whether you're his father or not, that could be damaging," Olivia was concerned. Her partner half smiled and leaned over, pressing his lips to hers.</p>
<p>"I think I can manage that," he said when they parted.</p>
<p>"Good. Now did the Captain give you some furniture or help with a car payment?" His partner asked.</p>
<p>"No and he didn't help with any mortgage payments either. What if his subpoena is a distraction?" Elliot wondered.</p>
<p>"Like if you're looking into why the Captain got a subpoena, you'll miss the whole "not asking for child support" thing?" Olivia wondered.</p>
<p>"Well, my brain went there and the fact that she wanted to sell the house first. I didn't notice the child support until you and Kathleen said something. Both of you noticed that first," he admitted.</p>
<p>"Because you were thinking of Dick and Liz. You didn't want them to be so disrupted during their school year," she pointed out.</p>
<p>"I love my kids and I love that you love my kids," Elliot smiled before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.</p>
<p>"We'll get through this and so will they. No matter what happens. Now we have a big day tomorrow," Olivia reminded him.</p>
<p>"I just don't want to have another day like the day Eli was born. The poor kid doesn't deserve that," he heaved a sigh referencing what happened to Jake Keegan and Matt Kramer.</p>
<p>"Should we see if Kenny wants to help us do some digging?" She wondered. Elliot shrugged; it might not be a bad idea.</p>
<p>"Let me think on it," he said. Olivia nodded and moved herself under the covers. Elliot reached over and shut off the light. He was feeling a little better and he was glad that his partner was lying next to him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two days later, Ethel was being discharged from the hospital in the morning and Olivia wanted to be sure that she felt well enough to travel. The hospital had given her enough medicine to last a week, with the intent that the refill would be made in Vermont. The group headed back to Olivia's apartment, having grabbed Clint and Calvin's belongings before leaving Elliot's.</p>
<p>"Will we be able to say goodbye to Elliot?" Calvin wondered, grabbing some clean clothes off the top of the dresser that was opposite the foot of the bed.</p>
<p>"Well, that depends on how your Grandma feels and it depends on how things go for him today," Olivia said honestly as she took the clothes from him. The two of them were collecting all of Ethel's things from the detective's bedroom so they were all in the same spot and nothing got left behind.</p>
<p>"He had to go to court, right?" Calvin asked.</p>
<p>"Yes," she nodded. Olivia didn't get into details, but Elliot had managed to get Kathy and her lawyer to agree to an off the record meeting, two hours prior to the scheduled hearing. He had promised to let her know the results of what Kenny had managed to dig up, but she'd not received any messages and the off the record meeting was already in full swing.</p>
<p>"Kathleen seemed nice," the young teenager said.</p>
<p>"She's a good kid, just like you," Olivia looked up after putting the clean clothes into the suitcase. Realizing that they were still missing a few things, the detective moved over to the chair near the closet. Ethel had neatly folded this pile and Olivia remembered them from before the hospital stay and she wanted to run Ethel's clothes in the washing machine before they left.</p>
<p>"How do I ask Grandma about her surgery? I don't want to be rude," Calvin plopped down on the bed. Olivia moved the suitcase closer to the pillow on the bed and sat down next to him.</p>
<p>"It will be hard. She's had a mastectomy. For many ladies, that forever changes how they look at themselves as women. Doctor Blackburn said that she may be able to have reconstruction surgery but that would have to come after her chemotherapy. A big thing that you should try to avoid would be to stare. It'll be noticeable that her chest is missing. She'll be sore and might not want to move around much. The doctor suggested that for the trip back to Vermont that we pad the seatbelt as much as we can. My best advice would be to keep things simple. Don't ask too many questions but let her know you care. If you just give her little reminders that you're there and that you want to be sure she's ok, she might open up and explain a little bit more. Your Grandma is always going to try to protect you so she may not want to talk about it. That's why it's important to remind her you're there," she explained. Calvin nodded. That's when Clint showed up in the doorway.</p>
<p>"Your neighbor is here, she said she wanted to check in," he said.</p>
<p>"Calvin, check the bathroom for your Grandma's stuff. We just have to wash the clothes on the chair," Olivia smiled. Clint promised to help him, and she quickly headed out to the living room.</p>
<p>"Sally, I appreciate you swinging by, but shouldn't you be at work?" The detective was concerned.</p>
<p>"It's my work from home day. Everything ok?" Sally was concerned as well, there had been a lot going on in this apartment lately. Olivia quickly offered her neighbor a seat at the kitchen table.</p>
<p>"Ethel is back from the hospital and we'll be heading to Vermont soon. Thanks again for watching my place while I'm gone," the older woman said.</p>
<p>"Of course, no problem. You tell the utilities and Larry that you're going to be gone?" Sally wondered.</p>
<p>"I called them yesterday. I can pay the electric and TV and internet online. Larry isn't exactly up to snuff with kind of stuff but I'm mailing a check to him for the first of the month. Let me know if any utility bills fall through the cracks," Olivia explained.</p>
<p>"Absolutely. With no pets or plants, anything else I need to worry about?" the younger woman asked.</p>
<p>"Take whatever you want out of the fridge. It won't be worth anything if left in there for too long," she said.</p>
<p>"There's actually food in there?" Sally was surprised.</p>
<p>"Who have you been talking to?" Olivia wanted to know.</p>
<p>"I believe his name was Detective Tutuola," the younger woman smirked.</p>
<p>"I'll be sure to have a little chat with him later," the detective chuckled.</p>
<p>"Let him know you tortured me for the info," Sally chuckled as well. Olivia laughed and they stood up to head for the door.</p>
<p>"Here are the backup keys," the elder woman handed her the mailbox key and her front door key on a small NYPD keychain.</p>
<p>"Very good. Just give me a shout before you head out. Good luck," Sally smiled as she took the keys and exited the apartment.</p>
<p>"Thanks," Olivia said before closing the door. That's when her cell phone alerted her to a text message.</p>
<p><em>You still here?</em> It was Elliot.</p>
<p><em>Yup. Ethel hasn't said much since we left the hospital. I'm going to see if she feels a little better after lunch and some pain medication. I don't want to push her</em>, she responded.</p>
<p><em>Good call. Can I come over?</em> He wanted to know. An opportunity had arisen that both figured would not exist.</p>
<p><em>Yes, of course,</em> Olivia replied.</p>
<p><em>See you in twenty,</em> Elliot promised. His partner wondered how the off the record meeting went. Unable to discern Elliot's mood from a text message, she tried not to think the worst.</p>
<p>"Was that Elliot?" Ethel asked. It was really her first full sentence.</p>
<p>"It was. He's done in court," Olivia smiled slightly.</p>
<p>"And the first thing he wanted to do was come here," there was a half-smile on her face.</p>
<p>"Well, he's going back to work tomorrow so he just wants to check in before we leave for Vermont," she said.</p>
<p>"Uh huh," Ethel had a smirk, seemingly knowing the truth. That's when Clint and Calvin exited the hallway.</p>
<p>"Elliot is going to swing by to say goodbye shortly. We'll do lunch afterwards and then see how everyone is feeling?" Olivia asked.</p>
<p>"I want to go home," Ethel said.</p>
<p>"I know and we will. I just want to make sure you'll be comfortable in the car. It's not a short trip," the detective smiled. Ethel nodded, knowing that Olivia was right.</p>
<p>"Why don't we look at some menus?" Calvin decided.</p>
<p>"You know where I keep them," Olivia winked. The young teenager headed for the cabinet near the fridge while Olivia watched Clint. He wanted to say something, do something, but he didn't know what. She made a mental note to call Huang when she had a minute alone. The buzzer sounded and she quickly went to the door, confirming it was Elliot before letting him into the building.</p>
<p>It seemed like only a few moments went by before there was a knock on her door. Olivia quickly opened it and immediately saw the look on Elliot's face. She could read what he was thinking, glad for their special link that they shared, because there was no need to say it out loud. If he said it out loud then that would really make it real and right now, he didn't want to hear it. He'd heard enough at the meeting. Eli wasn't his.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olivia had not wanted to leave Elliot. He was in an odd place and despite not believing it herself, he seemed vulnerable. Vulnerable and Elliot Stabler were not words that typically went together.</p>
<p>Still, he had insisted that if Ethel was ready, they should get back to Vermont. The sooner the older woman got into a routine and saw her local doctor, it would be better for her recovery. An hour after lunch, the group set out for their four-hour journey. Calvin offered to be the copilot and Clint and Ethel settled into the back seat of his grandparents' sedan.</p>
<p>They were about halfway to Albany when Ethel needed them to pull over. As quick as she could, Olivia did so, and the poor older woman vomited onto the side of the road. One of the chemotherapy pills side effects. Luckily, Clint had bought some mints at the bodega before they left, and he hoped they would help settle his wife's stomach.</p>
<p>After about ten minutes of on and off heaving, Ethel said she was starting to feel better. Calvin handed her a water bottle to use to swish out her mouth. Clint then helped her get settled back into the car and gave her mint. Once Olivia was sure they were all set, she got the car back onto the highway.</p>
<p>The silence in the car was only disrupted by the quiet, soft tones of the radio, playing hits that Clint and Ethel would know well. It would be broken by the occasional sound of the GPS unit giving directions. Calvin fidgeted in his seat and it didn't go unnoticed by Olivia.</p>
<p>Just outside Albany, the detective pulled the car into a rest stop. They all piled out of the car, stretched their legs, and used the bathroom facilities. Once alone, Olivia turned to Calvin.</p>
<p>"You doing ok?" She asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know what to say or what to do. Everything feels wrong," he admitted.</p>
<p>"I'm guessing your Grandpa feels the same way. We've got about an hour and twenty before we get back to your grandparents' house. Think about what you want for dinner and how we can bust up the silence at the dinner table," Olivia gave him a small smile.</p>
<p>"Isn't the house going to be a mess? They still hadn't cleaned it up before we left," the young teenager pointed out. The paint hadn't really come off of the car as it had basically baked on while the police were taking the photos of the crime scene.</p>
<p>"I have it on good authority from Chief Hall that the windows have been replaced and the paint was washed off the siding and the living room walls. Wherever it couldn't be washed off, things were repainted. Your local electronics store donated a new TV. The carpet had to be replaced but everything should be all set. I was trying to keep it a surprise," she told him.</p>
<p>"The town did that for us?" Calvin was surprised. It was then that Clint and Ethel started back toward the car and Olivia and Calvin made sure they were able to get back into the car and get comfortable. Back on the road, they fell into the silence they had before.</p>
<p>As they pulled into the driveway, there were audible gasps from the back seat. Olivia smiled and shut the car off. Turning around in her seat, she was glad to see the looks on the Drecker's faces.</p>
<p>"How?" Clint asked.</p>
<p>"Chief Hall has all the details. When I called him to say we were going to be heading back in a few days, he promised that he'd have everything ready. Let's get everyone inside," the detective said. She and Calvin quickly hopped out of the front of the car and helped both out of their seats. Ethel was leaning heavily on Olivia and she was concerned.</p>
<p>"I'm exhausted," Ethel confessed quietly.</p>
<p>"That's to be expected. Let's get you inside," the younger woman said. Clint pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door. Olivia helped Ethel get into a comfy chair while Clint admired the new windows and carpet.</p>
<p>"Even a new TV? We must call up the Chief and tell him that we need to know who helped. They deserve to hear thank you in person," Ethel said.</p>
<p>"I agree," Clint nodded. Calvin came in through the front door, carrying two of the suitcases. Olivia helped him and the two quickly went back out to get the other two suitcases. Calvin made sure the trunk was closed and then closed the front door, after Olivia had gone through it.</p>
<p>"We have no food in this house," Ethel said, knowing that since they'd been staying in the hotel no one had gone grocery shopping. Calvin disappeared into the kitchen and Olivia assumed it was for takeout menus.</p>
<p>"We can worry about that tomorrow. Take out tonight and early to bed," the detective smirked.</p>
<p>"I don't think we have to worry about food!" Calvin called out from the kitchen. Olivia looked at Clint who only shrugged.</p>
<p>"It seems the same folks who cleaned up the house also helped with the inside of the fridge," Calvin explained as he moved back into the living room, a glass of water in his hands. He handed it to his grandmother, and she smiled slightly, glad for his thoughtfulness. Clint went into the kitchen to see for himself. Olivia heard a noise and scooted over to the kitchen. The older man was choking back sobs, not wanting Ethel to hear. Without a second thought, Olivia came over to him and gave him a hug.</p>
<p>"We'll get through this," she promised him.</p>
<p>"It's just so much," said a man who had probably never cried in front of anyone before. They just stood there until Olivia's phone buzzed. She was going to let it go when Clint tapped her on the arm.</p>
<p>"It could be Elliot," he said. She nodded and quickly dug into her pocket for her phone.</p>
<p>"Hey El, how are you doing?" Olivia asked.</p>
<p>"I'm fine. Don't you worry about me. How are you? Trip go well? How's Ethel?" he wanted to know.</p>
<p>"We're doing ok here. A few bumps on the trip but nothing we couldn't handle. How are you?" She noticed how he'd deflected.</p>
<p>"Hi Liv!" It was Kathleen, she'd swiped her father's phone.</p>
<p>"Hi Kathleen. Keeping your Dad out of trouble?" Olivia teased.</p>
<p>"Trying!" Kathleen chuckled. Elliot swiped the phone back.</p>
<p>"She and the twins are keeping me company. Maureen promised to be by later," he said.</p>
<p>"Good. Give them my best and let the guys at the precinct know everything is good here," she told him.</p>
<p>"Will do," Elliot promised.</p>
<p>"Night El," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"Night Liv," that was the end of the conversation, at least for now. Clint had a smile on his face, all signs of him being upset seemed to have vanished. He'd been</p>
<p>"Grandma says she'd like some soup," Calvin came into the kitchen.</p>
<p>"I think we can manage that. Now what do you and Grandpa want? I bet you know all the good places to eat around here," Olivia winked at the young man. Calvin went to the top of the fridge and grabbed the menus.</p>
<p>"There's a Chinese place that has good Wonton Soup," Clint spoke up.</p>
<p>"Sounds good. Let's start there," Olivia smiled. Once they put in the order, Clint offered to get it. Calvin promised to show Olivia around the kitchen.</p>
<p>"Not sure Grandma would want us eating over the new carpet, but I think she'll want to stay in her comfy chair," he admitted, showing her where the silverware, plates, and bowls were in the cupboards.</p>
<p>"Probably a good call. You guys have TV trays?" She wondered.</p>
<p>"That we do. Have to have access to snacks while we're watching the game," Calvin smiled and ducked over to the nearby coat closet. Inside he pulled out the TV trays and headed out into the living room.</p>
<p>"What are you up to?" Olivia heard Ethel ask.</p>
<p>"Your soup will be here soon. You stay nice and comfy and we'll make sure you get your dinner," Calvin said. The detective walked into the room with some silverware from the drawer along with napkins off the kitchen table.</p>
<p>"Stay comfy. Clint will be back with dinner soon," Olivia smiled, seeing how Calvin had set up the TV trays – one each in front of cushy chairs, and two in front of the couch. Calvin's tummy rumbled and they all chuckled. The young man excused himself to get drinks for everyone.</p>
<p>"Get in touch with that lawyer tomorrow," Ethel said.</p>
<p>"I promised to reach out to him soon. I have almost six months' worth of vacation that I can use. We're going to take this one day at a time," Olivia promised as Clint came back into the home through the front door.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Elliot! While Liv is away, you and Briscoe are partners! Kenny, bring him up to speed!" Cragen called from his office doorway as the elder detective entered the bullpen the next morning.</p>
<p>"You got it Cap," Both Elliot and Kenny responded before the Captain shut his office door. Elliot collapsed into his desk chair. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Kenny came over to him and sat down on the edge of Olivia's desk.</p>
<p>"You want some coffee?" The younger man asked. He was holding two cups of the hot liquid in the disposable cups they kept by the coffee machine.</p>
<p>"When do I not?" Elliot smirked.</p>
<p>"Just the way you like it. Munch didn't burn it this morning," Kenny chuckled, handing him a hot steaming cup of liquid.</p>
<p>"I heard that," the Sergeant said from his spot at his desk.</p>
<p>"Kenny was just statin' a fact," Fin smirked from over at the coffee maker, making his own cup.</p>
<p>"So, what have we got?" Elliot wanted to know before sipping on his coffee. The hot liquid felt good going down.</p>
<p>"We're waiting on the lab and Melinda. Victim was raped, murdered, and dumped," Kenny said, jerking his head toward the board with the picture of a young Hispanic woman.</p>
<p>"Part of a pattern or…" the elder detective wanted to know.</p>
<p>"It would seem to be a one off at the moment," Briscoe explained. He quickly went into what they knew. The dump site had been down in Central Park. A couple of kids stumbled onto her on their way to play basketball. Since the body had been completely naked, they had no way to identify the victim. A canvas had been completed but no one had seen anything and no one they'd talked to seemed to recognize her. They were hoping Melinda would get a DNA hit or fingerprints.</p>
<p>"Elliot, a word?" Cragen called from his office doorway. The detective headed over to the Captain's office and closed the door as he was instructed. Taking a seat across from his commanding officer at the desk, Elliot knew what was coming.</p>
<p>"So, how'd you manage to get me out of having to go to court?" Cragen wanted to know, his elbows were on the desk, he was leaning forward.</p>
<p>"After some digging, I had something that I knew I could use. Though I wish I hadn't found out what it was," Elliot admitted.</p>
<p>"I don't need to know what it is, unless you want to tell me," while he was always willing to listen to his detective's problems, he wasn't sure divorce proceedings weren't something better kept between the spouses.</p>
<p>"Eli isn't mine," Stabler huffed out, his shoulders sagged, he leaned back in the chair, his legs jutting out toward the desk.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry…" the Captain sat up in his seat, removing his elbows from the desk, not knowing what else to say.</p>
<p>"She lied to my face. She told me that Eli was mine. She was just going to plow ahead with that story. I love him like he was my own and he only knows me as his dad, but she was going to try and make me pay child support, when she knew. It's not bad enough that she's wanting to make Rick and Liz move out of the house before they graduate high school, she was just going to try and wait until an emergency popped up and I find out I can't help my kid. What if he was in an accident and I found out I can't give him blood? Or a kidney? I just don't understand how things went so wrong. I don't want to lie to Eli," Elliot said, his hands went to his face, rubbing his palms over his eyes.</p>
<p>"This is not an easy thing to deal with. While we both know what happened in the Keegan case was an extreme, it does bring up a lot of legal questions. What is your lawyer saying?" Cragen wanted to know.</p>
<p>"He's never run across anything like this. Cheating spouses sure but trying to hide the parentage of a kid… I told him about what I found out during the Keegan case. He said since Kathy agreed to the sale of the house being actual alimony, I was off the hook for that, but as far as custody, that's trickier business. Since he's technically not mine, the actual father has to be contacted. The only way I can get parental rights is if, he gives up his to Eli, forever. If he doesn't want to give up custody, I'm not in Eli's life. How do you tell a little kid something like that?" Elliot just couldn't get over how he might have to say goodbye to the adorable little boy that he had been helping to raise.</p>
<p>"Until we know what his biological father says, I think you should not say anything. As far as Eli knows, you're his dad. That illusion doesn't need to be broken unless absolutely necessary. If you need to take a few days off…" the Captain started.</p>
<p>"No. I need to be here. Sitting at home, alone, isn't going to do me any good," the detective sat up in the chair.</p>
<p>"Ok but if I see something that I don't like, you'll be sitting at home. We can't jeopardize the case," Cragen reminded him. Elliot nodded knowing that staying focused on the case was the priority. There were a lot of things going through his head, but he hoped to speak to Olivia later, after his shift.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three weeks later on a Friday night, Olivia opened the front door of her apartment and Calvin was right behind her. They had taken the train back to New York from Vermont. While it wasn't a short trip, it allowed them to take a few extra bags without Olivia being forced to put checked baggage fees on her credit card.</p>
<p>"Thanks again for getting us from the train station," Olivia said to her neighbor, Sally as she set down the bags she carried.</p>
<p>"No problem. The car needed a workout anyway," the younger woman smiled and set down the bags she'd brought up. Since Calvin had no idea how long he would be staying with Olivia, he'd backed a few extra bags with stuff he'd want to have with him.</p>
<p>"Where should I…" Calvin didn't know where to put his stuff.</p>
<p>"I'd say let's hoof it all into the bedroom and we can sort it out later," Olivia suggested. The young man nodded and took the two bags he brought up down the hall.</p>
<p>"I'll get your mail from my place. How are the sleeping arrangements working?" Sally wanted to know. She knew that Olivia's apartment only had one bedroom, just like her own.</p>
<p>"The furniture guys are coming tomorrow with a new sleeper couch. They're much better than the old ones. Good thing for my back," the elder woman chuckled.</p>
<p>"Ah. I figured you'd move out on me," Sally said.</p>
<p>"It might be coming," Olivia smiled slightly as Calvin took the two bags she'd set down back to the bedroom.</p>
<p>"The facts are that we don't know if Calvin will ever return to Vermont. Ethel told me that if she doesn't survive this fight that she didn't want Calvin and Clint to struggle. Clint tries but he's not an overly warm kind of guy, a product of his generation I suppose. He and Calvin get along ok but…" the detective kept her voice low.</p>
<p>"But the boy needs a mom. I'd say between you and Ethel, you've got it covered," Sally winked.</p>
<p>"What about your bag?" Calvin asked as he walked back into the living room.</p>
<p>"I have to sift through it, just take your last one," Olivia smiled at him.</p>
<p>"I'll get your mail and get out of your hair. It's been a long day," Sally smiled and scooted out the front door. Calvin came back into the living room and headed for the kitchen, snagging the take out menus.</p>
<p>"Making assumptions are we?" Olivia asked him, moving toward him.</p>
<p>"I figured we'd head to the grocery store tomorrow. I mean I don't know about you but I'm exhausted," Calvin said.</p>
<p>"Me too. Find something you like and we'll get something brought over," she smiled and then pulled open the fridge. A few things had been left behind so the appliance wouldn't have to work so hard but she did not expect what she found.</p>
<p>"Whoa," Olivia murmured. Calvin looked up from the menus and looked at her.</p>
<p>"What's up?" He asked.</p>
<p>"Someone was a busy little beaver," Olivia said, swinging the door open to reveal that someone had refilled the fridge. Calvin's eyes went wide upon recognizing some of his favorite drinks and food.</p>
<p>"Ok so here's all the mail," Sally said as she let herself back into the apartment, she wasn't really looking at them, more so making sure she hadn't missed anything.</p>
<p>"You wouldn't happen to know how half the grocery store ended up in my fridge would you?" Olivia asked before closing the door to the appliance.</p>
<p>"That? Well I'm not the only one with a key," Sally smirked.</p>
<p>"Elliot," the older woman said.</p>
<p>"Could be. I mean there are so many detectives' names to remember and keep straight," the younger woman still had a smirk on her face.</p>
<p>"Well I'll have to make sure I thank them all when I get back in on Monday," Olivia said.</p>
<p>"I'll tell Detective Tutuola thanks when I see him in an hour," Sally said before setting down the mail on the stand near the door.</p>
<p>"You…" Olivia's mouth hung open as Sally called back, "Got a date, gotta go." With that the door closed and Olivia could hear Calvin chuckle.</p>
<p>"What's so funny?" She couldn't help the smile on her face. Sally didn't have much of a social life which is probably why they bonded over the few times they were able to spend time together.</p>
<p>"Well it just seems that you and your neighbor are both dating a detective," Calvin said. Olivia went over to him, shaking her head, before giving him a hug.</p>
<p>"What did your Grandma say to you?" She asked.</p>
<p>"Nothing. You'd have to be blind to not see what is going on here," he told her.</p>
<p>"Let's hope the Captain doesn't get wise or IAB. I like my job," Olivia said, pulling away from him.</p>
<p>"My lips are sealed," Calvin smiled.</p>
<p>"I know. You're a good kid. Now you still want takeout?" She wondered. He gave her a look.</p>
<p>"Yeah me too," Olivia chuckled. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly texted Elliot. They needed to catch up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Well, I think that's everything," Elliot heaved a sigh, standing in front of the back of the moving truck. The house that his children had been raised in was now empty. The twins had decided to stay with Elliot at his place, given their age that had been able to make their own decision make in court.</p>
<p>"Off to the storage place then," Dick said, coming up to stand next to his dad.</p>
<p>"I guess we need to find a bigger place huh?" The elder Stabler asked.</p>
<p>"I guess so. We'll be tripping over each other in short order," Liz spoke up, coming out of the front door of the house.</p>
<p>"Yeah, you guys are a little old for bunk beds," Elliot chuckled.</p>
<p>"You guys want to make one more sweep? Once your Dad hands the keys over to the realtor, whatever is left is gone for good," Olivia called from the doorway.</p>
<p>"Yeah, we better do that. Calvin, can you man the truck?" Her partner wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Sure," the young teenage smiled, leaving Olivia in the doorway to the house and heading to stand next to the truck. Elliot and the twins headed back into the house.</p>
<p>"I'm going to wait with Calvin. Take as long as you need," Olivia said, patting her partner's shoulder before heading down to the truck.</p>
<p>"Anything you guys are missing?" Elliot wondered as they stood in the living room. The twins didn't think so but scurried off to their old bedroom and the other corners of the house making sure they hadn't missed anything.</p>
<p>"I checked my room. Nothing there," Kathleen came out of the hallway. She'd been sitting in her old room for the last twenty minutes.</p>
<p>"Soaking it in?" Her father asked.</p>
<p>"The good, the bad, and the ugly. Time for new memories. Keep me posted on the search," she said.</p>
<p>"Will do. It'll be easier to find a place once this place sells," Elliot admitted.</p>
<p>"I don't think it'll take long. A hot commodity, this neighborhood, well at least according to Zillow," Kathleen told him.</p>
<p>"At least it'll go to someone who will love it, like we used to," her father said.</p>
<p>"And all the problems with it," Maureen came out of the hallway, her final sweep done.</p>
<p>"Hey, every pre-owned home has its issues. Luckily, none of them are code violations and we didn't have to update the house before we sold it," Elliot chuckled.</p>
<p>"It's been two months since Olivia got back from Vermont. You guys going to get a place together?" Maureen wanted to know.</p>
<p>"I know where Kathleen stands on this, but I've always thought you were on the fence," he admitted.</p>
<p>"I was. I had concerns that you two had really been cheating this whole time. That Mom had always been an afterthought. That maybe we were an extension of that. When we caught up to Liv in the diner and she said what she said. I knew for her it wasn't something that she was taking lightly. That she would readily give up her own happiness for us, it was not what I was expecting. I guess she'd always had to share you so doing whatever it took to at least keep you as a partner at work. What removed what little doubt I had was Mom lying about Eli. She obviously wasn't in it for your love but more for ensuring Eli would be taken care of," the eldest Stabler child heaved a sigh.</p>
<p>"I have to admit that I did not see that coming. I miss him," Elliot heaved his own sigh. Eli's biological father had stepped up to the plate, effectively cutting the man Eli knew as his father out of the picture. The girls gave their dad a hug. They all missed the little guy. While the older girls hadn't been seeing him every day, they tried to see their younger brother as much as they could. Kathy's new apartment wasn't exactly on anyone's regular route so visiting was something that had to be coordinated with schedules. Elliot hadn't been able to see Eli at all because of the weird dynamic and trying to get Eli to recognize his biological father as his dad.</p>
<p>"So, what are you and Liv going to do?" Kathleen asked.</p>
<p>"Our jobs really won't allow moving in together. Technically, the rule book doesn't have anything in it against it, but it puts the Captain in a bad position. Usually, they split partners up, so they don't work the same shift because if we work the same case…," he trailed off.</p>
<p>"It could be construed wrong in court," Kathleen spoke up.</p>
<p>"Exactly or if we get involved in a shooting, it could be construed that we cared more about our partner than the victim or hostage or even the bad guy," Elliot explained.</p>
<p>"It's pretty dumb. Liv needs a new place, you need a new place, and you're going to end up paying two rents," Maureen shook her head. That's when Dick and Liz arrived back in the living room.</p>
<p>"There isn't anything left," Dick said.</p>
<p>"Well then say goodbye and we'll lock the door. Off to the storage place," Elliot smiled slightly. They exited the house and he made sure everything was locked up.</p>
<p>"So, pile into the car and we'll follow your Dad," Olivia said. Liz had already claimed shotgun in the moving truck on the way over but there really wasn't enough room for five in Olivia's Mustang.</p>
<p>"Can I go with Elliot too?" Calvin asked.</p>
<p>"Sure kiddo. I could use another co-pilot," Elliot smiled, and Calvin hopped up into the passenger side of the moving truck with Liz while the other kids and Olivia piled into her Mustang. They started moving out of the driveway and Kathleen said,</p>
<p>"As much as we all miss Eli, Calvin is like having another brother."</p>
<p>"You know he was excited to come and help today. I really think that he looks up to your Dad and he wanted to hang out with you guys. I know you're older than him, but I appreciate how you guys are with him. He's been through a lot and has a hard time making friends," Olivia smiled, signaling her turn onto the route back toward the city.</p>
<p>"Well maybe we can help him with that," Dick spoke up from the backseat.</p>
<p>"That would be great. Thank you," she continued to smile as she drove behind the moving truck. There was still a lot that needed to be figured out in both her and Elliot's lives but it was good to know that they weren't in this alone.</p>
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  <strong>The End</strong>
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